MBBS classes at Chitwan Medical College have been affected for the last 20 days due to the ongoing protest of the students.

MBBS students had launched the protest on August 27, accusing the college administration of charging them more fees than what was fixed by the government.

The padlocking of the college on September 4, followed by sit-in and other protest programmes have affected the academic session, students say.

On September 11, the District Police Office in Chitwan detained 15 MBBS students who were demonstrating in front of the college gate. They were released the same night but the classes at the college have not yet resumed.

Students have been protesting every alternate day. “We have not given in. We plan to stage a strong demonstration in the coming days. Our friends have been deployed to make preparations for the protest,” Prakash Chand, coordinator of the Medical Education Struggle Committee, a body formed by the agitating MBBS students.

The agitating students said the college is charging them an additional fee ranging from Rs1.2 to 2 million as opposed to what is fixed by the government. They have demanded the college refund the additional fees within a month as well as the extra fees charged from scholarship students.

Nasim Akthar, a final year MBBS student, said the protest is necessary to provide justice to all students. “We know that our classes have been hampered, but we are compelled to stage demonstrations to get rid of such problems. The college administration is only concerned about making money here,” said Akthar.

However, the college administration has denied the allegations. Dr Haris Neupane, a promoter of the medical college, admitted that the college had charged some additional fees under headings such as examination, library, and miscellaneous activities.

The government had fixed Rs3.85 million for MBBS programmes inside Kathmandu Valley and Rs4.24 million outside the Valley in 2017. But, the college has been charging a fee (examination and others) up to Rs600, 000.