RIMS Adilabad: Students call off protest, rejoin emergency duties after administration promises action

Students meet with administration

The students, who had announced their protest and refrained from attending even emergency duties on Saturday were invited to a meeting with the administration on Saturday morning.

The meeting with the representatives of the administration, including the institute’s Director, Superintendent and heads of various departments, lasted for over an hour.

During this session, around five members of the protesting group held talks with the authorities.

Following the discussion, the administration assured the protestors that they would look into their issues and would provide them with resolutions within a stipulated timeframe.

In response, the protesting students unanimously decided to end their demonstration. The resolution also involved them attending emergency duties.

RIMS Adilabad: Assistant professor arrested over attack on students

‘Emotional toll on victims’

Meanwhile, the protesting students said that the assault and the following developments took a mental toll on them and added that it may take some time for them to heal from it.

“The main assailant, Dr Kranthi Kumar, an assistant professor, is in remand. The house surgeons who were assaulted are out of danger but they will take time to heal as the incident has had an emotional impact on them,” Arun Voruganti, President of the RIMS Junior Doctors’ Association, told South First.

“We had also interacted with Director Dr Jaisingh Rathod today (Saturday) and asked him to promise, in writing, that he will resolve our demands,” added Dr Voruganti.

He further said that the Director responded to the demand affirmatively.

Students list demands

The protesting students demanded that the Director seriously address their concerns regarding the security inside and outside the campus. They highlighted the possible threats to certain students and asked the Director to raise the issues with the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) and other higher authorities.

They also demanded that no legal action be taken against the protesting students.

The students also said that Dr Kranthi Kumar should not be allowed to enter the campus and the campus should be monitored via CCTVs and have a log book for visitors.

Further, they also said that only students with proper ID cards should be allowed to enter the campus and that the academic activities should be continued without any obstructions.

“Transparency regarding the inquiry committee should be maintained and updated to all of us as needed,” stated the protesting students in a letter.

The students also highlighted the need for a new hostel building on campus. “We demand the construction of a new hostel building to accommodate the current UG and PG students so that they feel secure within the hostel premises. Provision of separate rooms for PGs and Interns within the hospital for their safety during duty hours,” the letter said.

Further, they issued a call against nepotism and favouritism while recruiting any person for any post at the institute.

Also Read: MBBS student in Telangana dies by suicide

The incident

Assistant professor Dr Kumar and four others were arrested for the 13 December incident that occurred on the institute’s premises, based on a complaint by a student, the police said on Friday.

The complainant alleged that the “attackers” had tried to knock the students down with their car when the latter tried to stop the vehicle. The car, which allegedly hit a gate, was also seized, they said.

Reportedly, the motive behind the attack was that the assistant professor was irked over a student’s “rude behaviour” with the Director of the institute, who is his relative.

The assailants, identified as Dr Kranthi Kumar, Wasim, Shiva, and two unidentified men, attacked six house surgeons on the RIMS campus, causing injuries. The medicos accused Dr Kumar of orchestrating the assault.

“The reason for the attack on the junior doctors is that the interns questioned the unavailability of facilities in the institute. They interacted with Director Dr Jaisingh Rathod and, to their surprise, they were attacked on Wednesday (13 December) night, saying they were the fans of the director,” Dr Voruganti had told South First earlier.

The Director, too, was booked.

The attacked house surgeons are Dr Bharat, Dr P Naveen, Dr Kaviraj, Dr Abhishek, Dr Pasupuleti Naveen, and Dr Vijay.