| Students under the banner of Youth for Equality, who are on a hunger strike in AIIMS for the sixth day today, said they would not end their strike until the PM himself gave them an assurance that the reservation would not be extended to higher education. |
| They also demanded a judicial commission to look into the matter before any further reservation is done. |
| Student leaders said that Pranab had agreed to look into the demands raised by them. Yesterday, another Central minister Oscar Fernandes had met the students. |
| The meetings are part of the Centre's efforts to cool down the students whose worst fears seem to have been fanned by the rigid position taken by Arjun on the matter of reservation. |
| His defence has been that reservation has already been incorporated in the Constitution when the Parliament amended Article 15 in December, and the protests against a draft Bill to implement a constitutional provision was uncalled for. |
| However, sources said the government has recognised the highly emotive nature of the issue and wanted to tread carefully without angering any section of the society. |
| UPA ally CPM yesterday sought reservation for the poor among the non-OBC and exclusion of the affluent among the OBCs and these therefore are expected to be examined by the government committee, sources said. |
| Students ranged against reservation meanwhile received support from medical students in Srinagar and Kanpur today, while the Indian Institute of Management Alumni Association also registered their support for it. |
| The association today said in a statement that it was against any kind of reservation in premier management institutes of the country. It, however, said that no agitation was planned immediately. |
| The Health Ministry today issued notices to 600 doctors today for keeping off work. It had called in doctors from Army and Railways to help run hospitals in Delhi which have been affected by absenteeism of doctors engaged in anti reservation protests. |
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