Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, May 19: Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag summoned two MBBS students after they publicly raised the long-pending demand for enhancement of stipends for MBBS and BDS interns, triggering criticism.
According to an official notice issued by the college administration on May 18, the students were asked to appear before the office of the Principal-cum-Dean in connection with the alleged “violation of college norms.”
The notice stated that a meeting had been convened to deliberate upon the “recent incidents of violation of college norms by a few students of this institute.”
The students summoned include Aadil Mohammad Kumar, a student of MBBS Phase III Part-II, and Sahil Nagori, a student of MBBS Phase III Part-I.
Sources said the action followed a recent video uploaded by the two students highlighting the issue of enhancement of intern stipends and accusing the administration of remaining silent on the matter.
Excelsior learnt that the students later appeared before the college authorities, where they were counselled and advised to concentrate on academics and “become good doctors to serve people.”
They were also asked to avoid social media and focus on their studies.
According to sources, the administration objected to the “rude” language allegedly used by one of the students in the video and sought an explanation from them over the remarks.
In the video, the student spoke about the hard work interns do and the “peanuts” they receive as stipends, while claiming that nobody talks about the rights of medical interns in Kashmir.
He also said that other states were paying handsome stipends, while interns in J&K continued to be neglected.
The move drew criticism from medical student bodies, with the J&K Medical Students Association (JKMSA) condemning the notice and terming it “unjust targeting” of students for raising legitimate concerns.
JKMSA said medical students “work tirelessly on the frontlines of healthcare” and that demanding fair compensation “is their legitimate right, not an act of indiscipline.”
The association urged the administration to focus on resolving the stipend issue instead of “silencing future doctors.”
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