Meritorious elite facilitating caste discrimination in AIIMS: PMSF

New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Coming down heavily on ''meritorious elite'' for ''facilitating'' caste discrimination in AIIMS, the Progressive Medicos and Scientists' Forum (PMSF) today urged all sections of society to support reserved category students and force the UPA government to take action against perpetrators of caste oppression.

''We call upon all progressive and democratic sections from different walks of life to rally behind the just struggle of the reserved category students at AIIMS,'' PMSF spokesperson Vikas Bajpai said.

''We must force the Manmohan Singh government to take strict action against the perpetrators of caste oppression to uphold the spirit of our Constitution,'' he added.

Accusing the UPA Government of having failed in protecting the rights of reserved category students, Dr Bajpai said despite submitting several representations in the Prime Minister's Office no action was initiated against the ''guilty''.

''The whole issue was rough shod not just by AIIMS Director Dr P Venugopal but also the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), which was directly seized of the matters,'' he added.

He alleged that the UPA government has maintained stoic silence on the issue.

Dr Bajpai alleged that the AIIMS management is denying effective redressal of discrimination being faced by the reserved category students in the world renowned healthcare institute.

''Dr Venugopal's administration at AIIMS has crossed all limits of shamelessness in denying effective redressal to the SC/St students,'' he alleged.

''AIIMS administration has further encouraged the upper caste chauvinist section of students led by the Students' Union, to intimidate and silence the protest of reserved category students,'' Dr Bajpai alleged.

He claimed that many instances of violence in the recent past against the reserved category students had also come to fore.

Condemning institutionalized caste-based discrimination at AIIMS, he accused the ''meritorious elite'' of feign ignorance about its existence.

''While discrimination continues to flourish in all the campuses, the meritorious elite on one hand conveniently feign ignorance of its existence to befool people at large, on the other hand they facilitate its perpetuation,'' UNI NR SK BD1421