SGRRIMHS Dehradun: Student's petition against fee hike to be heard by Uttarakhand HC tomorrow, March 17

The case hearing for the students of Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (SGRRIMHS), Dehradun, will take place tomorrow, March 17. Dr DD Chaudhury of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) confirmed the news along with a couple of students who filed a writ petition. "The lawyer has confirmed that the case hearing will be tomorrow. We are hoping for a swift resolution to the ongoing issue for the students," said Dr Chaudhury.

To recap, final-year students at SGRRIMHS have been protesting since March 12, after the college put a hold on their internship unless an additional Rs 37 lakhs were paid. These students received their final year results on March 6 and have been demanding an immediate start to their internship. Yesterday, they called off their strike around 5.30 pm after the intervention and assurance of IMA. "We were forced to intervene as the situation was becoming violent. A case has been filed with the High Court, and to comply with this, the students have been asked to stop their strike temporarily," said Dr Chaudhury in his last conversation with EdexLive.

On March 14, the situation at SGRRIMHS turned violent when a group of outsiders stormed the campus in an ambulance and vandalised the tents of the protesting students. According to the students, these "administration's goons" forcibly removed them, resulting in injuries. "We had only occupied about 50% of the main entrance area. There was enough space for the proper functioning of the college, yet they resorted to violence," informed a student while speaking to EdexLive. The students also took to Twitter to share videos of the violence that was unleashed on them and amplify their voices.

The SGRRIMHS authorities increased the fees from Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 13 lakhs and applied it to the final-year batch as well. The college has made it clear that the internship will only commence after the fees are cleared. The administration is charging State Quota students Rs 26 lakhs and All India Quota students Rs 37 lakhs. Several medical associations have supported the students, including the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) and the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA).