Sambalpur: Even as the 12-hour bandh by residents of Burla on one hand and cease-work agitation by the PG and UG students of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) on the other continue, director Aswini Pujahari has come up with three proposals for the violence perpetrators to resolve the deadlock amicably.
"If they don't agree to these proposals for the betterment of the students, patients and public, they will face police action or may be rusticated. Moreover, the college will be closed sin die if needed," he added.
The director came up with the proposals hours before the students resorted to cease work agitation. "I have asked all HODs to discuss with their students on the issue," Pujahari stated.
The PG and UG students launched a cease-work agitation for indefinite period over the incident.
Meanwhile, students of SCB Medical College in Cuttack extended support to Burla students and decided to wear black badges tomorrow.
“We condemned the vindictive approach of VIMSAR director towards the students. Expressing solidarity with Burla students, we will organise a rally tomorrow in the evening and will wear black badges as a mark of protest. Our next course of action will be decided in the general body meeting,” SCB students’ union president Rajesh Sahu said.
On the other hand a 12-hour bandh has been called by the residents of Burla as part of their ongoing agitation in support of VIMSAR director Ashwini Pujahari.
The residents have threatened with the dawn-to-dusk agitation tomorrow to press for immediate arrest of the post graduate students involved in the attack on Pujahari’s residence on Friday night.
The residents, lawyers’ association and other civil society groups have called for a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh in protesting attack on the residence of VIMSAR director.
“We will observe a bandh in Burla if the PG students involved in stone pelting on the residence of the VIMSAR director are not arrested by 5 pm today,” said a local resident.
The bandh has been called to express solidarity with Pujahari who has cracked a whip on erring doctors treating patients at several private clinics during their duty hours.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Pratap Jena appealed to the striking students to maintain peace in the campus. "I requested the students to maintain peace and help other staff in patient care. All should be careful for the patients," Jena said, adding the district Collector and director of the institute have been asked to take measures for normalcy.
Earlier, Pujahari’s residence inside the campus was allegedly attacked by post graduate students on Friday night. The miscreants had also pelted stones and ransacked his property.
Meanwhile, the CCTV footage installed at the casualty wing was found deleted today.
Sambalpur SDPO has stated that the hard disk will be sent to Chandigarh for retrieval of the visuals for conducting proper investigation into the incident.