The agitating students of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on Monday ended their hunger strike after the authorities conceded to their demands. The students, who were on strike for 13 days were demanding that they be shifted to a new hostel. They said that the main hostel building where the second, third and fourth year MBBS students were lodged in was in a “deplorable condition”.
Initially six students went on hunger strike on July 10 and were joined by two more after a couple of days. Fifteen other students joined the strike last Wednesday. The strike was withdrawn after the CMCH authorities agreed to provide accommodation to the senior students in two floors of the new 10 storied hostel building.
“Two floors of the new 10-storied building will be allotted to senior unboarded boys…after an open and transparent counselling purely on a temporary basis,” said a notification issued by the CMCH authorities following a College Council meeting during the day.
It further said that the students concerned students would have to submit a “signed undertaking” that they would “vacate their accommodation” from the new hostel after the construction of another new hostel building was complete.
Initially the CMCH authorities refused to grant accommodation to senior students in the new hostel building. Citing guidelines issued by the Medical Council (MCI) the CMCH authorities argued that since the newly constructed hostel was allotted to first year students the senior students could not be provided accommodation in the same building.
“Freshers shall be lodged, as far as may be, in a separate hostel block, and where such facility is not available, the institution shall ensure that access of seniors to accommodation allotted to fresher is strictly monitored,” said an MCI regulation.
