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Door-to-door drive against OBC quota

      New Delhi: Medical students in New Delhi on Tuesday went on a door-to-door campaign to sway public opinion on their side in their continuing protest against the proposed reservation policy in medical and engineering colleges for the OBC category students. Medicos in batches went from residential colony to colony to explain their stand. A student carried a megaphone and others held placards emphasizing that Union Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister's proposal to increase the reservation quota by 27 percent for OBC students was unjust to meritorious students. The students shouted slogans and interacted with residents to explain their case.

Candle light march

    As the hunger-strike here entered the 60th hour, a candle light march began inside the campus of the AIIMS which slowly grew into a huge parade with motivational guru Shiv Khera leading it. Students participating in the protest have said that the indefinite strike, which today entered the fourth day, would continue till the Government meet their demands. Meanwhile, doctors in private hospitals withdrew their 24-hour strike here, bringing relief to the patients. Senior doctors also came occasionally here to boost the morale of the striking doctors. However, just few metres away from the central lawn, patients coming to the hospital had to face tough times as sometimes no doctor was available to attend their suffering.

Engineering students join agitation

    The anti-reservation protests by medicos in Delhi got stronger on Tuesday with students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and Kharagpur joining them on hunger-strike at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as the indefinite hunger-strike entered the third day today. Students of Delhi University, IIT Delhi and NSIT are also supporting the protest without participating in the hunger strike. Students of IIT, Delhi are taking out a march from IIT campus to the AIIMS in support of the ongoing agitation.

    The protests, which began last month, have intensified as the Congress party-led UPA government has refused to back off from its plan to raise the quota for OBC students in universities, engineering and medical colleges. Passions over the latest quota move were further stoked after police beat protesting medical students with canes in Mumbai on Saturday, provoking senior doctors in private and state-run hospitals to desert work and join the campaign. A similar government decision in 1990 to reserve more jobs for lower castes led to nation-wide demonstrations and dozens of upper caste students died after setting themselves on fire. On the other hand, supporters of quotas have said the government move is necessary as lower castes -- who have traditionally had fewer opportunities for quality education -- need the state's help to enter top educational institutions. They have said the admission process for medical, management and engineering institutions have always favoured the more advantaged upper castes. But critics have said the move will cut the number of places in top institutions for students competing on merit, and ultimately affect the quality of education and professional services. At present, government-funded colleges have to allocate 22.5 percent of their seats to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and the proposed 27 percent reservation for the OBC students with the existing 22.5 percent would take the total seats under the quota category to nearly 50 percent, leaving only half of the total seats for the General category students.

Protests in Patna, Kolkata

    Patna/Kolkata: Students of Patna Medical College on Tuesday took out a rally in protest against the Centre's move to reserve 27 percent seats in medical, engineering and management institutes for students belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Shouting slogans and carrying placards, the students also demanded strict action against the Mumbai police personnel who beat up the protesting students.

    In Kolkata, thousands of junior doctors and medical students, many in white gowns with stethoscopes around their necks, marched through the city, shouting "Down with reservations" and "Consider merit only". Classes in medical colleges across the city remained shut.

Govt committed to OBC quota: Arjun

      New Delhi: Standing firm on his decision of reservation for OBC students in higher educational institutions in the country, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh today said in the Lok Sabha that the Government was committed to implementation of the 93rd Constitutional Amendment in this regard. Amidst uproar by the Opposition, Singh negated of having any "personal agenda" behind the proposal. "A canard is being spread by a certain section of the people that the objective of this Government and this House (Lok Sabha) is being hijacked by me as my personal agenda," Singh said during the Question Hour. He also said that the government was looking for other ways to comfort the agitating students. He said that the government was mulling over to increase the number of seats. The Opposition showered a volley of questions and sought the government's reaction on the issue. They also condemned the police action against protesting medicos in the national capital and Mumbai recently. "I acknowledge the concern of the legislators regarding the use of police force on protesting students. What happened in Mumbai should not have happened and the students should have been allowed to put forth their demand in a peaceful manner. As far as the reservation row is concerned, there has already been Amendment in the Constitution. So, there should be no second thoughts. What now remains is the implementation and we will try to work out a balancing act taking care of both the sections," said Arjun Singh.

VP for equal opportunity for all castes

      New Delhi: Former Prime Minister VP Singh, who implemented the Mandal Commission's recommendations for reservations despite widespread protests, today said that equal opportunity should be given to all castes. Backing the proposal for reservation for OBCs, Singh said the government should try to look after the interest of all castes. He demanded that the government double the number of seats in all higher education institutions to accommodate students from all the categories. "We had a word with Ram Das regarding this matter and I suggested that he should double the seats in medical institutions within a year. An equal 50-50 division of seats will render equal rights to the backward castes without hampering the right of the general category as their 50 percent will remain intact," VP Singh.