Agitating MBBS students at AIIMS on Thursday suspended their indefinite relay hunger strike, called in the wake of the alleged suicide by a first-year student, after the premier medical hospital's authorities promised to look into some of their demands.
"We have decided to suspend our strike as of now. The decision has been taken after the hospital administration gave us a written assurance that they would immediately look into our memorandum of demands," a representative of the agitating doctors said, after the decision was taken at around 12.30 AM. Among the demands that have been promised to be looked into are -- a visit to the bereaved family of the student who took the extreme step, a special course for medical students and an association comprising faculty and students' representatives.
The strike started as a mark of protest demanding removal of AIIMS' Director following the alleged suicide of Anil Meena, 22, hailing from Rajasthan's Baran district, who was found hanging in his hostel room on Sunday morning.
Wearing black ribbons and raising slogans, MBBS students at AIIMS have been demanding resignation of its Director R C Deka.
AIIMS authorities have constituted a panel comprising senior faculty to verify whether Meena's results had been prepared as per prescribed rules.
This, sources said, is being done in view of discontent among under-graduate students with the mentoring mechanism in the institute and also the complaint that the recommendations of the Thorat Committee have not been fully implemented.
The AIIMS Director has also appointed former UGC Chairman Prof Sukhdev Thorat to examine the extent of implementation of the recommendations of the panel headed by him.
The committee probed allegations of caste discrimination on the campus and recommended welfare and academic enhancement of undergraduate students, particularly those from SC/ST/OBC categories.
Thorat committee said AIIMS, despite requests, "has not taken initiative to arrange remedial coaching in English, basic courses or any other spheres for SC/ST students as is required by central government educational institutions."