Srinagar: Inquiry into Dental protest at GMC srinagar, DC visits it to investigate

Srinagar: The Health Minister ’s order for an inquiry report about the present ongoing protest of the Dental students at the Government Dental College Srinagar and the resultant existing stalemate had the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Syed Aabid Rashid, on Friday, visited Government Dental College, to investigate the matter.

The Deputy Commissioner met the affected students, faculty and also visited the Department of Orthodontics.

“I listened to both sides and hopefully all the issues will get resolved soon. Let the law to take its own course”, he said.

The DC is expected to submit his report to the Health Ministry on Friday, in order to update the Minister for reasons of stalemate.

The students’ protested against the alleged physical and mental harassment by the HOD entered the 8th day in the premises of institute at Shereen Bagh in Srinagar on Friday. The students have been displaying banners and shouting slogans in front of the principal’s office and a continuous protesting posture by the students is for anyone to witness. The students are demanding the removal of Dr. Mohammad Mushtaq as the Head of the Department Orthodontics and formation of a student union on the lines of other professional colleges.

The head of the Department against whom the protest is being led, Dr Muhammad Mushtaq, talking to Kashmir Reader, refuted all the charges saying that this was the handiwork of a hidden hand that was provoking students for ulterior motives.

“Six students are leading the protest for their poor performances in the academics. They are only creating disturbances through these protests; they have failed and have no other option. In order to hide their failures, they try to blackmail me while accusing me of harassing and forcing my students to do my personal work, let us wait for the truth to come out and get the things clear before everyone,” he informed Kashmir Reader.

“These students failed to submit their thesis which they had to submit on 31 December 2017 besides failed to pass the internal examinations and remained unauthorized absent from college for one month,” he added. “ When they sensed that everything is going against them they started a campaign of harassing me through these protests and unfortunately there are some hidden hands provoking students for ulterior motives.”

He also reiterated that a professor was mandatory as per the Dental College of India guidelines for a P.G course to run and that the only professor of orthodontics in the college department was him.

“This is the reason some people inside the institute are trying to damage my name and fame to get me down for ulterior motives”, he told Kashmir Reader.

The 10-day strike has not only paralyzed normal functioning of the Dental College for more than 10 days but has also dented the learning and research of medical scholars, said Dr Suhail Naik, DAK President.

“This type of abnormal behavior inherited by some guides has ruined the quality research in Valley,” he said. “Government must select a full-time permanent principal for said College after framing an empowered selection committee on war footing basis, he added.

Doctors Association Kashmir, JKDCC, DSA-J & K and Students of Indira Gandhi Govt. Dental College Jammu has supported the student protest at the Dental College Srinagar reported Kashmir Life.