Medical students have been holding a sit in Islamabad for the past 5 days and a clash between the students and police took place on Wednesday night (29 September) as the protestors attempted to march towards the Prime Minister House.
The students were baton-charged by the police, and some were arrested. Many protestors were injured.
Medical students are staging a sit-in at the D-Chowk to protest the online medical college admission exam, arguing that it is defective. They are also protesting the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT), requesting that the test be held on a single day across the country.
On Wednesday, the D-Chowk sit-in entered its fifth day. Protesters claimed that because no one would listen to them, they attempted to march towards the Prime Minister’s residence. There was a fight when the cops stopped the roads. Students screamed slogans and marched on. The cops retaliated with a baton charge.
After the police prevented them from marching, they resumed their sit-in. Students have stated that they will not return home unless their demands are granted.
One of the protestors said, “We wanted to be the guests of the prime minister, but the prime minister is not ready to host us.”
Protesters claimed they were mistreated by private goons while the police used disproportionate force against them, including on women.
Earlier, students staged a protest outside the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) building, chanting anti-PMC slogans and claiming that the PMC Act required a single test had to be held every year.
People on Twitter are also reacting to the brutalities posed by the Islamabad Police on people. The hashtag #ShameonISBPolice is trending on Twitter.
Journalist Hamid Mir also posted on Twitter and said, “Govt must listen to the students protesting against #PMC.”
One of the students in the sit-in said, “Imran Khan should know that these are his own children. They are the country’s future. Is this the state of Madinah?”
Medical students demand that the MD-CAT admittance exam be retaken on campus rather than online.
