Career of hundreds of Kashmiri medical students studying medical courses like MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing has been put on stake in Punjab as their affiliating Baba Farid University has resorting to failing them without any reason, students allege.
The situation with regards to BDS is particularly worrisome as atleast 45 Kashmiri students most of whom are girls are being kept in their Ist year despite them being in their third year. “We came here in 2013 under Prime Ministers Scholarship Scheme (PMSS). Our first tragedy was that the scholarship never arrived and we have to pay the fee from our own pockets. Secondly the university has made the habit of failing us in subjects disregarding all rules,” said a BDS student.“Out of 1400 students who had appeared in BDS 2nd year 2015 around 300 students are having carry on and 522 have got backlog. Same is the case with first year. Our half batchmates I’m especially talking about Kashmiri students who had appeared for the 3rd attempt in first year have again got backlog,” said a student. “Students are in depression even some tried to commit suicide some got hospitalised.”
The student, most of whom are distinction holders in Kashmir, have ample proof of the university cheating. “When some of the students checked their answer sheets there was a huge gap between the marks mentioned on marks card and the answer sheets,” said a student. “So we can clearly see how much cheating has been done with we people. According to the rules of DCI (Dental Council Of India) attemptation marks are always given for each question but our university has not done the same. 2-5 marks have been given to students out of 70. We are not so duffers that we can’t get 25 marks to pass the exams.”
According to reports, the new VC of the university has made it a habit of making life of students miserable. “I don’t know what is his problem. He says that management quota students don’t deserve to become doctors and dentists. When complained to him, he told us to pack our back and head back to Kashmir. We want to ask them, if management quota is not allowed then how we were admitted,” said a student. “Even this year the college admitted around 20 new Kashmiri students.”
There are 13 colleges coming under Baba Farid University where BDS is being taught and everywhere the situation is same. Till date the students have paid an average of Rs 10 lakh as fee but they are still being made hostage in the first year. The number of affected Kashmiri students is in hundreds as MBBS and BSc Nursing students also allege the same cheating. “We were not having any knowledge about this management issue in Punjab otherwise we wouldn’t have come here to spoil our career,” said a student with almost tears in her eyes.
After failing in all options the students went on a strike and tried to reason with the VC, but according to students he even refused to listen.
“I am not going to follow any DCI rule and if u have any problem then go to the other university,” said a student.
The students have appealed the state government to kindly intervene in the matter and save their careers.
No official from the university was available for comment.
