Democracy soon fading away in West Bengal

110 med students held for gherao

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 16.11.11

Friends of the arrested students wait outside Lalbazar on Tuesday night

Kolkata: In a bid to crack down on political hooliganism in hospitals, the state administration on Tuesday arrested 110 students of Calcutta Medical College Hospital for gheraoing principal Dr Utpal Dutta for five hours. The students were later released on personal bonds. They were protesting the authorities’ attempt to bar 18 students from contesting the college union election on November 25. These candidates had allegedly flouted the election code of conduct by taking a few students out for a picnic. 
    The arrested students owed allegiance to Medical College Democratic Students Association — a non-CPM, non-Trinamool union. They later alleged that the police had resorted tolathicharge, although joint commissioner of police (headquarters) Jawed Shamim denied using any force. 
    The authorities claimed MCDSA supporters had disrupted normal functioning of the hospital and cut off access to the principal’s office for over five hours. The union members also organized a rally on the campus. 
    “A committee to supervise the college union election was formed on November 4 and laid down certain guidelines. It was later reported that 18 MCDSA candidates had organized a picnic for first-year students. This was a violation of the code of conduct and a brazen attempt to lure voters,” a hospital official said. The committee on Monday unanimously decided to bar the 18 students from contesting. “The committee was to meet on Wednesday to probe complaints against them. But suddenly, the students gheraoed the principal’s office for five hours,” said Dr Siddhartha Chabraborty, medical superintendent and vice-principal.