Retest demand grows louder

The protest against the question leak of the medical college admission test grew louder yesterday, with more candidates and an anti-corruption organisation joining the cause.

Some 200 people from different parts of Dhaka and adjoining districts assembled in the Central Shaheed Minar and staged a sit-in there from 10:00am to 11:30am.

The protesters wore black masks, and it was the 10th day they took to the street.

Expressing solidarity with the demand, the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) urged the government to carry out neutral investigation into the alleged leak, which happened the before the exam took place on September 18.

TIB issued a press release in this regard.

Protests were also held in divisional cities including Rangpur, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna and Chittagong.

In Dhaka, after the sit-in at the Shaheed Minar, the candidates and their guardians moved towards Shahbagh but were stopped there by police.

Then they demonstrated their till 1:15pm, and later moved towards the Jatiya Press Club where they were scheduled to hold a press conference.

Some candidates alleged that they could not hold the conference because police prevented them from entering the club, and so they staged another sit-in there, till 3:15pm.

Around 83,000 students took part in the test against 11,049 places in 39 public and 98 private medical and dental colleges, with 48,448 passing the exam.

ABM Abdul Mannan, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), under which the exam was held, claimed the tests to be free and fair.

However, a University Grants Commission (UGC) official was arrested and suspended on the exam day when allegations of question leaks spread. In addition, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained seven people including three doctors in Rangpur city for their alleged involvement in leaking out question papers of medical admission test. Three of them were directors of two coaching centres.

Abdul Qader Zilani, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station of Rangpur, told The Daily Star yesterday that the arrestees were sent to jail, and they would attend a bail hearing today.

A candidate said, "On one hand, the government is saying there was no leak; on the other they are arresting people on allegations of question leaks. This shows that the questions were leaked, and our movement is justified."

In the statement, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, "The stance of a section of the government would only save the main perpetrator... which is not acceptable."

He, however, urged protesters to refrain from any activities that may hamper daily public life.