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Self-immolation attempt by anti-quota activist

      New Delhi: The anti-reservation protest took a new turn today with the self-immolation bid of a 23 year old boy, who claimed himself to be a medical student, during a 'Dilli aao, desh bachao' mega rally at the Ramlila Maidan here. Rishi Ranjan Gupta, the 23-year-old boy, attempted a self- immolation bid and was admitted at the city's LNJP Hospital with 10 to 20 burns and severe burn scabs on the back. Police, who were on guard, immediately doused the flames on his body, and rushed him to the hospital. On being asked the reason for the attempt, Gupta replied, "this was as a mark of protest against the reservation policy". Around 10,000 people participated in the rally being organised under the banner of 'Youth for Equality', which is said to have no political or violent agenda to protest against the Centre's decision to incorporate 27 percent reservation of seats for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

      Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday met a delegation of the striking anti-reservation medicos and assured them that the government would look into their demands with regard to the reservation issue. Dr. Singh told them not to worry over shrinking educational opportunities as he foresaw a massive expansion of the higher education system, which would see a huge growth in the educational opportunities available to all classes and categories of students. AIIMS Director P Venugopal, Health Secretary P C Hota, Principal Advisor to Prime Minister T K A Nair and a delegation of about 10-12 medical students from Delhi and other states attended the meeting with the PM, which lasted for about an hour. The doctors' delegation also handed over a charter of demands to the Prime Minister.

      Earlier, the medicos had presented a charter of demands to President Dr. APJ Kalam, who assured the students that he would ensure that the Government's promise - that the number of general category seats would not be affected with the quota for OBCs - is implemented. He also asked the protesting students to call off their strike and go back to their studies. However, the talks were stuck on the issue of setting up of a non-political commission to examine the reservation policy. The UPA co-ordination committee and the Left parties have decided to implement the proposal to introduce the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions from June 2007, while increasing seats for the general category students, and this has outraged the students.

      At present, government-funded colleges have to allocate 22.5 percent of their seats to students belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category. The 27 percent reservation for the OBC students along with the existing 22.5 percent reservation 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. This has resulted in widespread protest across the country by medical, engineering and students belonging to other disciplines.

Anti-reservation protest in Kolkata (Go To Top)

       Kolkata: Thousands of striking medical students, doctors, teachers and IT professionals kept up their protest against higher college quotas for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Kolkata on Saturday. Doctors belonging to the general category padlocked Out-Patient Departments (OPD) in state hospitals as the strike, now in its third week continued to disrupt state medical services in many parts of the country. "This rally has been called by the youth for equality based West Bengal chapter. We have been fighting for our cause, but earlier, only the student community was taking part," said Aurindun Banerjee, a junior doctor. "But now our movement has spread all over the nation and also among the masses and today public has also joined us in large numbers. We have also got support from all aspects of the society, the IT employee, all our Doctors, teachers many delegates and many film actors has also joined us," he added. Protesters also shouted slogans with banners and wore anti- reservation T-shirts and shut down medical testing laboratories in the state.

Withdraw stir, CPM to medicos  (Go To Top)

      Kolkata: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today said that the striking anti-reservation medicos should withdraw their stir in the wake of the UPA's government assurance that interests of all classes and categories of students would be protected. "We very clearly wanted that a balanced approach has to be taken by the UPA government. Now that the government is saying that interests of all sections will be protected, it is time for the agitating medicos to withdraw their agitation", CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury told media persons here. "The whole point of discussion between the UPA-Left coordination committee was that the interests of all sections should be kept in mind. Reservation should be there and general category seats must not be affected. By 2007, general category seats must be increased. This is exactly what the UPA government has decided," he added.

     The statement came after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met a delegation of the striking anti-reservation medicos yesterday and assured them that the government would look into their demands with regard to the reservation issue. Dr. Singh also told them not to worry over shrinking educational opportunities as he foresaw a massive expansion of the higher education system, which would see a huge growth in the educational opportunities available to all classes and categories of students. Yechury said above statements in Kolkata, where he is scheduled to participate in Politburo meeting, commence from today. During two-day meeting, the discussion is likely to be held on certain issues. They are recent assembly elections in five states, completion of two years in office of the UPA government at the Centre, reservation and political situation in the country.

      A report for the Central Committee will also be prepared in the meting as the committee is scheduled to meet in Hyderabad from June 8-10. The CPI (M) on Friday said continuance of the anti-quota agitation despite UPA's balanced approach on the reservation issue 'clearly smacks of a blatant upper caste bias' that has been 'ably assisted by a section of the media'. The CPI-M, which supports Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government from outside, had asked it to initiate a dialogue with the agitating students. According to CPI-M, they cannot deny reservations to the weaker sections as the country has witnessed casteism for thousands of years. Steps have to be taken to uplift backward sections. All political parties have agreed to go by the constitution and its provisions in this regard.