Third-yr MBBS girl rusticated

Chandigarh, March 14: In an exemplary move, principal, Government Medical College, Amritsar rusticated a medical student here on March 10...

Chandigarh, March 14: In an exemplary move, principal, Government Medical College, Amritsar rusticated a medical student here on March 10 for allegedly conniving with a peon to replace her incorrect answer-sheet with the right one.

Describing the incident as a rare one, Mahajan told ENS today that Davinder Kaur, a third year medical student had appeared in the class test held every second or third month and then connived with Ramesh Kumar, a peon in the Microbiology Department, to replace her incorrect microbiology paper with a corrected one. She also paid him money for the purpose, he alleged. The answer-sheets were easily accessible, Mahajan said.

While the peon was trying to open the lock of the almirah to replace the answer-sheet, the key got stuck inside the lock. For fear of being caught, Ramesh went to call for a locksmith who asked that a witness be produced before he did the job, Mahajan said. Meanwhile, Urmal Mohan, head of the Microbiology Department suddenly arrived on the scene and caught them red-handed. She had come to the department to look for Ramesh who normally returned the keys to her after closing the department. But as he had not come on time that day, she had come looking for him. The corrected answer-sheet was recovered from the peon, the principal added.

Urmal Mohan, however, refused to disclose any information on the incident stating that it was an internal matter of the department. Mahajan said a five-member disciplinary action committee which includes Goyal, head of surgery; M. S. Khanna, head of aneasthesia; B.S.Sidhu, professor surgery and S. K. Duggal, head of ENT Department, recommended her rustication from the college. Dr B L Goyal said the student had confessed to all the charges levelled against her. The department may hold a meeting to reconsider their decision keeping in view Davinder8217;s career, the principal added.