Punished for missing PM’s 100th Mann Ki Baat event: PGI now calls decision to ground 36 nursing students ‘an overreaction’

The statement issued on Thursday said that authorities concerned had been conveyed the displeasure of the PGIMER administration and the issue should not be given any other connotation in larger public interest.

Earlier, several reactions had poured in over the National Institute of Nursing Education college’s decision to ground the 36 students, with at least one former PGI heads criticising the move as “too harsh”.
Dr SK Sharma, former director of PGI, on Thursday criticized the decision to ground 36 nursing students of the
institute in their hostel for a week for not attending the programme.

“The punishment is too harsh. I don’t think it merits such a harsh punishment to the students. The maximum is that they could have been warned. I also think that before the event the college authorities should have impressed upon the students strictly that was a Mann Ki Baat address to the nation that was supposed to be aired on campus and everyone should positively be in attendance for the same,” Sharma told The Indian Express.

The National Institute of Nursing Education, PGIMER, Chandigarh, had grounded 28 students from first year and eight from third year for not attending the programme. The decision has already been criticised by the president of PGI Nurses Welfare Association, Manjneek, who described the action against the students as harsh. Manjneek argued that the students are above 17 years of age and are in a professional college where maintaining discipline is important.

She suggested that a warning notice of attendance shortage could have been given to the students for missing classes and lectures isntead.

Dr BNS Walia, former PGIMER director, however, supported the college’s decision, arguing that any unauthorized absence usually leads to an extension of the training period. “Yes it is indiscipline if they were expected to attend an event but failed to do so. And then they can be punished for it.”

The admission to the National Institute of Nursing Education is based on an entrance test, which is highly competitive. The programme is also known to be tough, with students coming from middle class families, many from rural Punjab. The students are allowed to go out on weekdays from 5 pm to 8 pm, with longer hours on Sundays, which act as a much-needed break for them.

On May 29, a letter was issued by the Registrar of PGIMER’s Academic Section to all heads of teaching departments, informing them that the Institute would be telecasting the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat on April 30 at 11:00 am in the lecture theatre-1, Nehru Hospital, PGI. The letter requested the heads to relieve residents and students on the date to attend the program and all heads of departments, unit heads, and residents/students were also requested to attend the same.

However, according to a senior resident of the Institute, there was no compulsion to attend the program, and most residents did not go, as they were all busy with work, and there was neither any attendance nor repercussion for not being present for the programme.