More than forty students of Allied Health Sciences at AIIMS, Rishikesh, staged a silent protest on Saturday against alleged misbehaviour with the media personnel, who had come for the coverage of their ongoing agitation which entered its seventh day.

The agitating students alleged that the media personnel were ill-treated and pushed around.

The silent protest is against misbehaviour with the media and the attempt to suppress the students' voice, they said.

Forty-seven students have been protesting in the institute premises for the last six days against non-fulfilment of their demands, including payment of a monthly stipend of Rs 13,940 to the students across all six courses during internship and the facility of degree registration.

"There has been no action on our demands. We are not being heard. Instead, we are being threatened with termination," said a protesting student.

AIIMS Deputy Director Amit Parashar has asked for a week's time to look into the matter.

The degree should be registered so that its validity is ensured, the students said.

Internship should be made optional as in other colleges so that one can avail opportunities like government jobs and higher education. There is no uniformity in payment of stipends, they said.

Nearly Rs 10,000 is being paid as stipend in two courses and Rs 14,000 in one. Acting PRO of AIIMS, Rishikesh, Sandeep, while spelling out the institute's stand said out of all the six courses of Allied Health Sciences, the provision of stipend is given in the prospectus of the course only for three courses.

If the AIIMS' Standing Finance Committee sends the recommendation of stipend for the remaining three courses to the ministry and the latter gives its approval then it can be given in all the six courses, he added.

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