JOIN USA group of medical students from Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University, formerly known as Lucknow Medical College, protested at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, alleging caste discrimination in the Uttar Pradesh college.
"The students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been failed continuously in the subject of physiology. For the past six to seven years no student from the reserved category has passed the exam despite taking it repeatedly. We today submitted a memorandum to President Pratibha Patil in this regard," said Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, President, Progressive Medicos Forum which organised the protest by about 40 students.
Out of the three subjects in the first year of MBBS - anatomy, biochemistry and physiology - it is only in physiology that the SC students have been failing, the protesters said. According to them, physiology happens one easiest subjects and it is surprising that so many students are not getting their degree because they fail the exam in it.
Students from All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College under Safdarjung hospital also joined the protesting doctors from Uttar Pradesh. SC/ST students from Safdarjung also faced a similar situation and were provided relief after the intervention of Delhi High Court.
“In our college too there was a high rate of students from the reserved category failing the physiology exam since 2004. In 2010 we moved Delhi High Court and our exams were conducted in July 2011 under Court supervision on orders of Chief Justice Dipak Misra. All students passed the exam,” said Manish, third year student at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College who lost one year of college due to the dispute.
The Lucknow students demanded re-evaluation of their papers under an independent observer at the earliest. They asked the President to ensure the reforms undertaken at AIIMS following the Thorat Committee recommendations be followed in their college too. The reforms include appointing two internal and two external examiners - including one from the reserved category - and a neutral observer. The viva voce should be recorded; and 50 per cent of the theory exam should be objective type.