In a crackdown on MBBS students protesting against Haryana government’s bond policy for government medical colleges, the Rohtak Police detained around 300 students in the early hours of Saturday and registered a First Information Report in this connection.
The police action came ahead of the visit of Governor, Chief Minister and Home Minister to PGI campus for the convocation of Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak.
Udai Singh Meena, SP, Rohtak, told The Hindu that the students were protesting peacefully against the bond policy of the government for the past few days, but they shifted their location near the venue of convocation on Friday. “All efforts by the PGI and Civil administration to convince the students to move away from the convocation venue went unheeded forcing the police to evacuate them in view of the protocol for VVIP programmes. A FIR has also been registered in this connection,” said Mr. Meena.
He added that the students were now co-operating with the administration and a meeting was being facilitated between them and the Chief Minister soon after the convocation.
Condemning the police action, Haryana Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda, in a tweet accompanying a short video clip of the police action, said the BJP regime had increased the fees for medical colleges from ₹20,000 during Congress rule to ₹40 lakh making it difficult for the poor and the middle class families to afford it.
Aam Aadmi Party Haryana also criticised the police action expressing support to the protesting students and said that the party would not allow the government to suppress the students’ voice.
The Haryana government had come out with a policy to incentivise doctors to opt for government service in the State on November 6, 2020, saying that the candidates selected for MBBS degree course in government medical colleges need to execute an annual bond for ₹10 lakh minus the fee at the start of every academic year. The candidate can pay the entire bond amount without recourse to the loan or the State government will facilitate them for availing an education loan for this bond amount. As per the policy, the government will repay the annual instalments of the loan if the candidate obtains employment with the State government.
However, in view of the protests, the CM had three days ago announced that students need not pay the ₹10 lakh bond amount at the time of admission, but instead have to sign a bond-cum-loan agreement of the amount with the college and the bank.
