Annamalai University on Thursday announced the suspension of classes for undergraduate and postgraduate students except freshers and the indefinite closure of the medical and dental Colleges in the Rajah Muthiah Institute of Heath Sciences in Chidambaram until further orders.
All the undergraduate and postgraduate students except M.B.B.S and BDS freshers (2020-21) batch were asked to vacate their respective hostels by 4 p.m.
The move came after protests by postgraduate medical and dental students entered the 42nd day. Students have been fighting with the University administration in protest against the exorbitant fees charged by the institution.
A student said that while the institution was run by the State government since 2013, the fees charged were much higher than at State medical colleges. “For MBBS, the fee in government-run medical colleges is ₹13,800 per year. However, the college has been collecting ₹6.5 lakh as fees per year,” he charged.
In a circular, the University Registrar (in charge) R. Gnanadevan said that in view of the adverse and unfavourable circumstances on the premises of the Rajah Muthiah Institute of Health Sciences, the medical and dental colleges are closed indefinitely.
“The classes for MBBS and BDS freshers will be conducted as usual and they will be permitted to stay in the hostel. Postings for the CRRIs of medical and dental colleges will continue and they will also be permitted to stay in the hostel. The attendance of CRRIs will be mandatory,” he said.
All other students are instructed to vacate the hostels immediately he said, adding that unauthorised stay in the hostels and gatherings beyond 4 p.m. will be viewed with serious concern.
