Staff Reporter :The students seeking admission into the Medical and Dental Colleges will hold rally across the country today (Wednesday) demanding retake of admission tests. They also threatened of continuing their protest programme until realisation of their demands. The aggrieved students said this at a press conference held on the premises of Central Shaheed Minar on Tuesday. Israt Jahan Simi read out a paper in the press briefing on behalf of the students.Meanwhile, a police team thwarted a sit-in programme of a group of agitating students at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Tuesday.The students were demanding fresh examinations by cancelling the recently held Medical and Dental admission test.They started to gather at the Shaheed Minar from 10am on Tuesday, but police drove them away therefrom at about 12 noon.More than 100 protesters and parents of students then gathered on the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s Administrative Building premises and chanted slogans. A scuffle broke out there when the police intercepted the students from entering its premises.At least eight students suffered minor injuries in the scuffle which took place around 12:45pm, alleged student Sanjida, who passed the HSC examination this year from Laboratory School and College in Dhaka. She was also injured.The agitating students entered the DMC premises to foil the Medical admission process which started yesterday.Meanwhile, Md Ibrahim Khan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ramna Division), told the Media that they dispersed the demonstrators from the place to keep the administration continue the admission process. “Police did not charge batons nor misbehaved with the agitating students,” DC Ibrahim said.”We urged them (the students) to submit a Memorandum to the authorities concerned to press their demand,” he said adding, “But they defied us”.The students have been protesting for the 11th consecutive day against the leak of questions of the Medical College admission test held on September 18.On the other hand, the law-enforcers also foiled the demonstrations of the students on Dhaka University campus on Monday.The demonstrators brought out a procession on Monday noon from Shaheed Minar. Police obstructed them when they were on way to Shahbagh.They then took position in front of the Central Public Library and stayed for over an hour. They later gathered in front of the National Press Club.They left after announcing yesterday’s programmes from there.It may be mentioned that the Medical and Dental admission test was held with leaked questions across Bangladesh on September 18.As many as 48,448 out of 83,000 students passed for 11,049 seats in MBBS and BDS courses in the Medical and Dental colleges.Before and after the examinations, several people including four doctors and staff of different coaching centres in Dhaka and Rangpur were arrested on charge of allegedly leaking the question papers.Since the arrests and announcement of the test results, students across the country took to the streets demanding cancellation of the results and that they are allowed to retake the test.
