Burdwan Medical College’s annual cultural festival has triggered a fresh dispute after first-year MBBS students alleged that they were being pressured to pay ₹5,500 and that the name of the National Medicos Organisation (NMO) was being used to collect the money. The committee organising the festival, called Spandan, has denied any connection with the organisation and said the contribution was voluntary.
In a statement issued after the allegations surfaced, the Spandan committee said the festival had no association with any outside organisation. Committee member Bishwarup Saha said the ₹5,500 amount was the same as the contribution collected last year and included the cost of a T-shirt. He also denied that students were being forced to pay, saying the amount had been described as voluntary.
The dispute has drawn attention because complaints have been raised around Spandan in previous years as well. On September 23, college principal Sabyasachi Das formed a supervision committee to prevent a recurrence of earlier allegations linked to the annual event. The committee had recommended appointing an independent chartered accountant to examine the festival’s accounts.
Arunima Choudhury, head of the physiology department and a member of the supervision committee, said she had received a complaint about the alleged coercive collection and forwarded it to the principal for examination. She also alleged that members of the Spandan committee had used her name while collecting money, and said she condemned the practice.
The latest controversy began after some first-year students alleged that money was being collected in the name of the NMO, an organisation associated with doctors. One student raised the issue on social media, expressing concern about possible harassment if they protested. A teacher-doctor from the college shared the post in a group of department heads.
NMO state secretary Arnap Pal said the organisation was apolitical and maintained a defined list of activities for the year. He said the NMO did not participate as an organisation in college fresher receptions or annual cultural festivals, although individual members could be present at such events. Pal said the organisation would consider legal action if it received a written complaint that its name had been used to collect money.
The Spandan committee described the controversy as driven by personal and political interests but did not identify those it believed were responsible. It also said that a culture of threats and fear no longer existed at Burdwan Medical College. The committee’s statement did not resolve the competing claims over whether students faced pressure to pay.
The college’s supervision mechanism and the proposed independent financial review are now central to establishing how the contribution was fixed, how it was communicated to students and whether the festival’s accounts were subject to institutional oversight. The allegations remain under consideration by the college authorities, while the NMO has publicly distanced itself from the event.
