Haryana: MBBS students continue to oppose annual bond policy, protest enters Day 27
Rohtak, November 28: Upset with the Haryana Government notice regarding Rs 10 lakh annual bond for students pursuing MBBS courses in government medical colleges in Haryana, MBBS students and hundreds of undergraduate medical students and medical associations are protesting against the decision for the last 27 days.
The protest was started on November 1. "Bond policy will ruin the careers of students. The government has not yet assured any employment for the students. The strike has been going on for more than 27 days, but we have not seen any positive results. This policy will hamper the right to education," said a student.
The members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) also joined the protest at PGI in Bareilly. Earlier, extending its support to the protest by the students, the IMA said it stood with the protesting doctors of Haryana and denounced the state's harshness and oppressive actions.
As per a circular by the Haryana Government, Rs 10 lakh annual bond policy was supposed to remain effective for this academic year. The MBBS students were required to pay the amount at the start of every academic year till the completion of the MBBS degree of four and a half years.
Haryana Police officials allegedly had fired water cannons against the protesting medicos, manhandled them, and forcefully dragged them to the police station.
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To oppose the government's move and the brutality by the state police on the students, The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) observed a black ribbon protest across the country declaring the day as "Black Day".
"The recent incident of police action on the doctors carrying out a peaceful protest against the fee hike in government medical colleges in Haryana is barbaric and highly condemnable. The astute asympathy shown by the law authorities in firing water cannons and forcefully dragging and manhandling the protesting doctors is yet another blot on the face of the medical education system in the State of Haryana and this country," FORDA official wrote to the Union Health Minister in this regard.
"FORDA deprecates this heinous act carried out by the police, on the direction of State Government. An unwarranted fee hike in the form of a despicable bond police followed by police action on innocent doctors who have given their best in all circumstances including the COVID pandemic shows the apathy and weak memory the government has," read the letter.
"This incident will not only bring down the morale of doctors in the state in particular and the country in general but will also widen the gap between the doctors and the government. We request your esteemed office to intervene and revoke any kind of legal action against the doctors and help start a channel for dialogue so that the issue is understood and resolved at the earliest," it added.