Medical students in north Bihar's Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga towns staged widespread demonstrations with sit-ins, burning of effigies and road blocks both in support as well as in opposition over the proposed reservation for OBCs in premier technical institutions of the country.
Students of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur burnt the effigy of Union HRD minister Arjun Singh whereas their counterparts in Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) chanted slogans denouncing Singh's cabinet colleague Kapil Sibal for his opposition to the move.The medical students at Muzaffarpur accused Arjun Singh of trying to divide the society on caste lines, and warned that if the proposed quota were not shelved, agitations would only intensify further.
However 300 medicos of DMCH took out a march from Karpoori Chowk to their medical college in support of the proposed reservation for the OBCs, staged a sit-in and blocked the road in front of the institution for four hours from 9 am till 1 pm.
These medicos later submitted an 8-point charter of demands to the District Magistrate, which included lowering the cut-off mark for eligibility to take CBSE medical entrance tests for SC, ST and OBC to 40 per cent, exemption from mandatory interview for admission to technical institution in addition to the reservation for the OBC in medical and technical institutions.
