Authorities of the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) revoked the decision to expel five medical students on Wednesday, within 48 hours, and instead decided to suspend them for six months for alleged highhandedness and involvement in malpractices.

The move followed intensive protests by a section of students, including the expelled five known to be associated with the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), on Tuesday night.

Students had confined Indrajit Saha, the principal, and Anupam Nath Gupta, the new dean of student affairs, on Tuesday almost till midnight, which led to the decision, sources said.

The meeting in progress at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Siliguri, on Wednesday. Passang Yolmo

Late on Tuesday night, Saha called an emergency meeting of the college council, where the earlier decision to expel them was withdrawn. He also convened another meeting of the council on Wednesday afternoon, wherein the new decision was made.

The principal, talking to newspersons on Tuesday night, said: “In the light of certain appeals, submissions, display of evidence and requests made by some UG students, the decision (of expulsion) has been withdrawn."

“It was decided that the five students would be temporarily withheld, and placed for review at the full bench of the college council on Wednesday,” he added.

On Wednesday, after the council's meeting, dean Gupta spoke to the media. The council has “partially modified” the decision, she said.

“These five students will be under suspension for the next six months, starting from September 12. They shall vacate the hostels and will not be allowed hostel accommodation for the remaining period of their course, even after the period of suspension,” Gupta said.

She said that the students had requested reconsideration of the decision against them.

All five are pursuing MBBS and are in the third year of the course.

Last week, some students and junior doctors demonstrated, seeking steps against some doctors including junior doctors and students who are associated with TMCP. These people run the show in NBMCH, threaten others, indulge in malpractices during exams, and also manipulate the academic results, they claimed.

Such allegations prompted Saha to form a committee to probe into the charges. The committee submitted its report on Monday. Based on it, steps were taken against seven doctors and five students.

“On Tuesday night, expelled students and their associates with the TMCP exerted pressure on the principal and others to change the decision. We doubt if any effective step would be taken against them,” said a junior doctor who had joined the protests last week.

Tirthankar Roy, one of the five students, denied the charge.

“The decision (expulsion) was one-sided and no clarification was sought from us. This is what we told the authorities. Even then, we are suspended. I don't know why such a step was taken against me,” said Roy.