USTC students continue demo
Block road for half an hour
Medical students of the University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC) continued their demonstration yesterday on the campus and its nearby roads in the port city demanding registration from Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC).
On the fifth day of demonstration, several hundred students brought out a procession and locked the main collapsible gate of the academic building in the morning, said sources.
They also blockaded the road before USTC for around half an hour.
A heated exchange occurred between students and police members, deployed to avert any untoward situation, as the demonstrators were told to free the road, said witnesses.
But Nizam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Khulshi Police Station, said students observed their demonstration peacefully around 1:00pm.
An MBBS student of 25th batch said they would continue the demonstration until the authorities complete their registration.
Around 1,200 MBBS students, around 400 each in the 25th, 26th and 27th batches, of USTC face uncertainty as BMDC has refused to register them as the university violated rules by admitting students three times the permissible number in each batch. Of the students, around 600 are from India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives.
Students of 25th batch, who are now in fifth year and scheduled to attend the final professional examination from January 23, said they will not be able to join internship or practice after passing MBBS unless they get registration from BMDC.