Date:27/04/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/04/27/stories/2005042709490400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

PG medical counselling runs into trouble Trouble at medical counselling

Staff Reporter

Quota students go on the rampage; varsity official accused of manhandling association leader Quota students go on rampage; varsity official accused of manhandling leader

STARK REMINDER: Broken glass pieces at NTR University of Health Sciences after an attack by SC/ ST/ BC Doctors' Association leaders in Vijayawada on Thursday. Photo: Raju V.

VIJAYAWADA: A tense situation prevailed at NTR University of Health Sciences here on Tuesday with students belonging to the SC, ST and BC Doctors Association ransacking the counselling hall and charging the Deputy Registrar, Shashank, with manhandling their leader, Uday Kanth.

Counselling was temporarily suspended and the Vice-Chancellor, R. Sambasiva Rao, urged the Principal Secretary to Government, Medical and Health, to take a decision on the standoff and communicate the same for resuming the process.

Trouble broke out soon after the counselling for post-graduate medical courses began in the morning. Counselling officials informed students of reserved categories that the latter had to choose only one seat and that there was no facility to block a seat in one course through the merit category and move over to another course in the reserved category. In fact, the earlier system allowed students of the reserved category to avail themselves of a seat in a course through merit and also move over to another course later. In such an event, the seat vacated by a student, who belongs to a reserved category but obtained a seat in merit, should be given only to another student belonging to the same category.

Reserved category students barged into the chambers of Vice-Chancellor. Later, they picked an argument with Mr. Shashank over the issue.

Meanwhile, leaders of the students association came out and told those waiting outside that Mr. Shashank had thrashed Dr. Uday Kanth. Enraged by this, students threw chairs in the counselling hall into the air and attacked chambers of officials. They smashed glasspanes and broke wooden panels of the entrance of the office of the registrar and entered the room. University officials then called the police who entered the scene and brought the situation under control.

Threat to file case

Interestingly, the students, demanding a facility under the reservation system, organised a sit-in. They demanded action against Mr. Shashank and said they would file a case against him under the SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act.

The Registrar, P. Jayakar Babu, however, said that none of the university officials attacked students. "On the other hand, it is students who ransacked the premises and unleashed a reign of terror." The Vijayawada East MLA, Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, went to the campus and met students' representatives, the V-C and the Registrar.