Anti-reservation protest intensified in the city

Mumbai May 30 (UNI) The anti-reservation protests in the city intensified following the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's decision to go ahead with the implementation of 27 per cent reservation in higher education institutes from 2007-08.

On Saturday, people of various sections including students, teachers, lawyers, sociologists, chartered accountants, traders and businessmen flocked at Goregaon Sports Complex in support of anti-reservation taking the protests to new heights.

Abhishek Pal, an IT proffesional working at Patni Computers said,'' we are also passout of the same system. The additional 27 per cent reservation will kill the merit in the long run and would force the students to migrate out''.

Last Friday, anti-reservation protests gained momentumn, when large number of IT professionals held a rally in Navi Mumbai.

Earlier, students and doctors rejected a written proposal from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, assuring them that general category seats would not be reduced after the implementation of 27 per cent quotas for OBCs.

Meanwhile, doctors and undergraduate medical students at King's Edward Memorial Hospital(KEM) continued their hunger strike for the fifth consecutive day.

''In Mumbai, hospital services are intact as undergraduate medical students were leading the protest. While, in Delhi medical services stood crippled as resident doctors also joined the strike'', said Ravikant Singh, an undergraduate student at KEM.

Singh also added,'' we are not opposed to reservation. But first the government should conduct a survey and submit a report of the past reservations and who benefited from that''.

As the anti-reservation strike gains further momentum, anxious school students and parents have begun to display sporadic support to the ongoing agitation.

Naman Modi, a standard 10th student who took part in an anti reservation rally recently at Azad Maidan said,'' the medical and engineering students are fighting for us. If we do not support them at this stage, it will be a shame on us''.

Several other students like Modi are spearheading a silent campaign in the city soliciting support from fellow pupils in their respective areas to join the protests.

Modi also stated that, he along with other like minded students would later visit schools to inform and educate the demerits of reservations in higher education institutes.

''Today reservation is an issue that affects almost every middle class household in India and that forced me to support the Youth For Equality (YFE)'', said, Hardik Rusi of St Joseph School.

Rusi stated that like any other career oriented student, he too carries a dream of pursuing aeronautical engineering from IIT.

However the reservation aspect could play a spoilsport and students like him may loose the race, he added.

Meanwhile, the government has appointed Congress MP Veerappa Moily as Chairman of the Oversight Committee, to study different aspects of the reservation policy.

Reiterating the government stand, Minister of State without portfolio Oscar Fernandes said the 27 per cent quota cannot be rolled back, and there should be a debate to work out the increase of seats.

Sumit Kumar, a Ph D student of IIT, Powai said,'' the hunger strike by IITians is a relay strike and would continue till some positive result comes out''.

Intially lot of time was lost due to lack of coordination, now all IIT centres were in touch with each other and soon a coordinated movement protest would start if governmwent failed to take note of the strike, Kumar added.

Meanwhile, to defuse the situation, Union Health Ministry has asked All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to immediately increase undergraduate seats from 50 to 90. Also eight other government medical institutions have also been asked to increase seats.

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