Delhi AIIMS student staged protest against college administration

Many students cited issues like lack of hostel accommodations, women's safety, and non-upgradation of the syllabus. 

New Delhi: A number of AIIMS students staged a protest against the college administration, highlighting various issues and demanding the creation of the College of Optometry. The agitated students raised various key issues, including lack of hostel accommodations, women’s safety, and non-upgradation of the syllabus.

Naseer Hassan, a bachelor student of the optometry department at AIIMS, stated that their primary demand is education and alleged the college for not implementing the curriculum given by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. He was quoted as saying to news agency ANI, “Our protest is against the administration of AIIMS; our primary demand is our education. AIIMS is unable to provide us with education. They are not making the College of Optometry. The curriculum that has been implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hasn’t been implemented by AIIMS. Teachers are not assigned to teach us. Students come here from different states, but hostel facilities are not provided to them. Female safety is also an issue.”

Asha Choudhary, a first-year medical student, expressed dissatisfaction towards the process of hostel allocation and women’s safety in the college and demanded the College of Optometry. “We have been sitting on protest outside the office for the last 20 days. But we are not being heard. Our demands are we need College of Optometry, our classes don’t happen on time, we don’t have any curriculum…female safety is an issue; when we come on the first day, hostels are not allotted to us; we have to stay outside somewhere,” she said, ANI reported.

A second-year medical student, Anil Yadav, alleged of being “tortured” and “threatened” to end their protest. He also added that despite multiple meetings, the students haven’t received any response from the college administration.

“We have been sitting on protest for the last 20 days. Nobody is ready to listen to us. Today a meeting took place, and similarly, 2-3 meetings happened earlier as well, but they are not giving us any response. We have been tortured. We have been threatened that if we don’t end our protest, we will be lathi-charged. There are around 50 police personnel present at AIIMS even now. They are very corrupt. Their corruption should come out. The mental health of the students is being affected because of this,” he added.

(With ANI Inputs)