Nowshera Medical College students continue protest

NOWSHERA: The students of the Nowshera Medical College on Thursday continued the protest and boycotted classes after accusing the administration of harassing them and fining them heavily.

More than 400 male and female students took part in the protest on the second consecutive day. They chanted slogans against the college administration and demanded Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Health Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan to order a probe into the issue.

The protesting students alleged that the college dean, Dr Jehangir, Information Technology Section in-charge, Sharif and other relevant staff had imposed heavy fines on the students.

The students alleged that the fine collected was Rs 1 million and the sum was not properly deposited in the college coffer and instead pocketed by the officials. The protesters said the students enrolled in the college were from poor and average class families and could not afford to pay heavy fines.

They alleged harassment of the students and demanded replacement of Sharif, Dr Shahnawaz and Mustajab. It was learnt that the protest continued till evening. A heavy contingent of police rushed to the site.

The college administration tried to hold talks with the protesting students but they refused. When approached by this correspondent, the college dean, Dr Jehangir, rejected the charges levelled by the protesting students. The dean said there was no truth to the reports of harassment of students. He said a group of mischievous students was behind the present situation. He said this group of students had taken the college hostage and was vitiating the peaceful atmosphere there.

Dr Jehangir said the trouble started with the action against fooling of the first-year students. He said the college administration had banned the fooling as it was against the rules.

The dean rejected the allegations levelled against associate dean Dr Shahnawaz. He said as Dr Shahnawaz was responsible for enforcing discipline, and that was why some students were against him.