AIDSO state committee vice-president Dr Mridul Sardar handed over a memorandum to Governor M K Narayanan enlisting the various demands of students.

The students have sought the scrapping of the three-year diploma course in rural healthcare and the three-and-a-half-year BRMS course, which the state government intends to implement on the Centre’s proposal.

AIDSO member Subhankar Chakrabarty said: “The short courses have been designed for the rural population who are regarded as second-class citizens. But they are not so, and do not deserve half-baked second-class doctors.”

Besides registering their protest against the recent dissolving of the Medical Council of India, the AIDSO also raised objections against the recent increment of seats in the state medical colleges.

“The West Bengal University of Health Sciences is crippled with poor infrastructure. The examination system is fraught with corruption, and results are delayed inordinately. However, 100 seats have been increased. Where is the infrastructure to accommodate and train these students?” asked Sardar.

On the abolition of internships by the Dental Council of India (DCI), Chakrabarty said: “The abolition of internship by the DCI is a callous step. A doctor is never trained until he interns.”

Poor stipends during internship also brought students onto the streets.