Kendrapara, May 25: Students of the Tulasi Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery Training School here have threatened to immolate themselves if the authorities refused to accord permission to their institute.

They alleged that due to the “arbitrary attitude” of the State Nursing Council, the first batch of students from the training institute would not be able to take the examination this year.

Tulasi is the only private nursing institute in the district.

“We are enrolled as students of a registered institute. The State Nursing Council of the health department has accorded recognition to us. Despite this, we are not being allowed to take the examination this year,” said the students.

“The institute is adhering to the mandatory norms stipulated by the government. It also has the necessary infrastructure and teaching faculty as per the requirements of the State Nursing Council.

“The students should have every right to sit in the examination. We have taken up the matter with the director of medical education and training and the state nursing council,” said Sukhada Prasad Tripathy, director of the nursing institute.