SGRR Medicos Withdraw Protest after IMA Intervenes, HC to consider matter tomorrow

Dehradun: The final year MBBS students of Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (SGRRIMS), Dehradun, who were protesting against the sudden fee hike and pending MBBS Internship, called off their strike yesterday, i.e. March 15, 2023.

This comes after the members of Indian Medical Association (IMA) met the students and talked to them and asked them to call off the strike temporarily to honour the case they have already filed before the High Court bench.

Uttarakhand High Court bench is likely to take up the matter tomorrow, i.e. March 17, 2023. Confirming this, Dr DD Chaudhury of IMA told Edex Live, "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."

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that raising their voice against the decision of the management to increase the fees suddenly and put the MBBS internships on hold, the final year medicos of SGRRIMS, Dehradun initiated a protest since Monday.

The authorities have increased the fees from Rs 5 lakhs per annum to Rs 13 lakhs per annum, which is around 150 percent fee hike, one of the protesting students of 2018 batch had informed Medical Dialogues, adding that they would approach the High Court and file a plea in this regard.

Also Read: Fee Hike from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 13 lakh, Internships on Hold: SGRR MBBS Students on Protest

While the State quota students have been asked to submit Rs 26 lakhs, the students of management quota have been asked to pay Rs 37 lakh fees. The college management also has put the internships of the final year students on hold clarifying that the internship will commence only when the students will clear the due.

Although the students were protesting peacefully, some people allegedly assaulted the MBBS students who were protesting peacefully outside Shri Mahant Indresh Hospital. Taking note of the matter, DGP Ashok Kumar has already instructed the Senior Superintendent of Police Dehradun Dalip Singh Kunwar for registering a case against those people.

Referring to the incident of violence, an MBBS student of the medical college informed Edex Live, "We had only occupied about 50 per cent of the main entrance area. There was enough space for the proper functioning of the college, yet they resorted to violence."

As per the latest media report by Edex Live, the members of IMA recently met the students and talked to them and following this, the students called off their strike on March 15. Confirming the same, Dr DD Chaudhury of IMA told the daily, “We were forced to intervene since the situation was getting violent. A case has been filed at the High Court and in order to honour that the students have been asked to stop their strike temporarily.”

Edex Live adds that the High Court bench of Uttarakhand is likely to take up the plea filed by the MBBS students on March 17, 2023.

Support from Medical Fraternity: 

Meanwhile, Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has come in support of the students. Referring to the recent violence that the protesting students had to face, FORDA mentioned, "What a shame! Peacefully #protesting students against a humongous and unjust fees hike at SGRRI medical college, Dehradun were mercilessly beaten and manhandled by local crowd. Alleged involvement of administration behind this cruel act. They’ve evicted students from hostel too!"

Also Read: MBBS students of SGRR on protest over fee hike