The students of White Medical College and Hospital in Pathankot, Punjab were abused by the authorities on Thursday, July 11, after they protested about the inhabitable situation caused by low-voltage electricity.
The incident happened after the students gathered near the tea point to protest about the insufficient electricity disrupting their studies and deteriorating living conditions caused by non-functioning fans, lights, and water taps.
According to the students, Chairman Swaran Salaria, upon hearing about the gathering from the Managing Director (MD), Sunaina Sambyal, who was already present, rushed to the place and started assaulting the students with shoes and hurling verbal abuses at them.
“He was so angry and driving so recklessly,” stated a student speaking with EdexLive on the condition of anonymity.
Later the MD went to the boy's hostel and hurled verbal abuse at people who were present at the gathering. She allegedly also threatened to charge them with rape cases and ruin their career if they didn’t stop going against the authority. Students claimed that she further defamed girls by pointing fingers at their characters. The information was conveyed by the students.
The students have been complaining about the lack of infrastructure, teaching staff, equipment and lack of practical exposure and basic facilities for years.
Last year, a group of students approached the regional high court concerning the situation. A single bench court ruled in favour of the students on January 10 of this year. The college was instructed to relocate the students to other medical colleges within the state of Punjab.
However, the decision was put on hold when the case went to a higher court. The student's career has been in limbo ever since.
The students said they reached out to the registrar on the matter, to which his response was inconclusive as the court case was already pending.
“We informed the deputy commissioner, who then dispatched a police force to accompany us to the campus. Only then did we feel safe enough to retrieve our luggage,” said a student, citing safety concerns after the incident. The students informed that they vacated the campus and went home by themselves without the administration raising any security concerns.
Talking about a personal experience, a student said, “I've been selected based on my merits. I expect a good education. The quality of education we are receiving is inadequate for preparing us to save lives, making us potentially bad doctors.
Standing in solidarity with the students, the President of All India Medical Students Association, Dr Jitendra Singh voiced, “The situation in the college is bad and is not conducive to study. The shortage of faculty, irregular classes and lack of practical exposure are jeopardising their career. Students should be shifted to other colleges.”
