Students from the Universal College of Medical Sciences in Bhairahawa have launched a protest against the college administration alleging it has failed to address their demands, which includes the return of additional tuition fee, and is one among six other demands.

The college administration, however, has said that the students denied to forward their demands “methodically” and alleged the students of inviting pupils from other colleges for protest.

“The college administration seemed indifferent when we were planning to put forward our demands methodically,” said one of the agitating students, who chose to remain anonymous. “Instead, the students who were returning after submitting a written complaint to the district’s Chief District Officer were locked out of the college and forced to remain out for the night.”

With the final exams starting coming Wednesday, agitating students have said they will boycott the exams and all other academic programmes of the Tribhuvan University, with which the college is affiliated. The students have staged sit-ins in front of the college’s main gate.

The students allege that the college has been charging them a total of Rs300,000 more than what is declared by the government. Exam fees, too, have been raised by up to Rs10,000, the students say. The students demand the extra fees be scrapped.

The college administration, however, has said the “adjustment” of extra fees is not just a problem of one college but of those across the country, and that it is ready to accept the criteria designated by the government and Tribhuvan University.

Meanwhile, the college’s chief administration officer Ajay Kumar PS said the students have declined his invitation for a negotiation. “By no means will the college stop the oncoming exams, abided by the methodologies issued by TU,” he said.

The agitating students said they are preparing to file the documents of extra fees to the district administration office.