On Friday, a group of medical students from Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital set ablaze multiple pharmaceutical stores in Bihar’s Darbhanga. Several people were injured, including a half-dozen police officers, while stores and cars were severely damaged in the fire.
Bihar | A group of medical college students set several medicine shops on fire in Darbhanga
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2022
“The students went to a medical shop demanding medicines related to narcotics, but they were denied. The students got infuriated over this&an argument ensued” said a member of trade union pic.twitter.com/v7GLtxkVpc
According to reports, the students stormed the surrounding medical shops on Friday night after an argument regarding them seeking narcotics-related drugs. They became enraged after being refused, and an altercation erupted, culminating in violence.
As several residents said, the confrontation occurred late Friday night between medical students and the shopkeepers who operate the pharmacy stores near the medical college. The situation grew so heated that furious students splashed petrol on four stores on campus and set them ablaze.
An employee was reportedly stabbed with a scissor and suffered a facial contusion, while another person had minor burns. People who were present at the scene purportedly claimed to hear gunshots and explosions during the scuffle.
Krishna Kumar, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), remarked, “On Friday night, after an argument between a student of Darbhanga Medical College and the shopkeeper at the chemist, a group of students set several chemist shops on fire.” “Soon after getting information, 2-3 fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the fire,” he added.
Police forces have been deployed inside the DMCH campus for the security of doctors. Emergency services have resumed. Darbhanga’s drug trade union is on a protest demanding the arrest of accused students. Actions will be taken against the people involved: Darbhanga SDPO KN Kumar pic.twitter.com/X0LM4Ay5cz
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2022
He further added that police officers have been stationed on the DMCH campus to ensure the safety of the healthcare professionals and that emergency services have resumed. Darbhanga’s drug trade union has staged a demonstration calling for the arrest of the accused students. People who are involved in this will face consequences.
Kripanath Mishra, Principal of DMCH, stated, “Due to fear, the doctors had fled from the emergency services during Friday night, but the emergency service has been restored from Saturday morning. We are going to have a meeting and it will be decided whether the hostel will remain operational or closed in future.”
Dr. Amod Kumar Jha, secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), strongly condemned the occurrence, saying, “In response to the attack on DMCH students and retaliatory violence, there has been a loss of public property on both sides, for which we all doctors express our heartfelt pain and distress. IMA demands from the government that prompt action should be taken after proper investigation of the incident.”
It should be noted that previously, some students protesting against claimed irregularities in Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams clashed with police and set fire to a stalled, empty railway compartment in Gaya, Bihar.
