Bhubaneswar, July 30: The situation at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (Vimsar) at Burla near Sambalpur is getting complicated with postgraduate students going on a strike from today.

Angry residents of Burla have also given a bandh call in the town tomorrow to demand arrest of students involved in Friday night's violence.

The Vimsar campus has been on boil since the residence of director Aswini Pujahari was attacked allegedly by a group of students on Friday night. The local residents had backed Pujahari yesterday and demanded action against the culprits. They have called for a bandh tomorrow if the culprits are not arrested.

The postgraduate students launched the indefinite cease-work today in protest against Pujahari's way of functioning. The medicos have also begun a dharana on the Vimsar premises. The house surgeons and undergraduate students have also supported protesting students.

"We will continue our agitation till the government's representatives or the director discusses with us the issue," said an agitating student. The students have also lodged a case against the director at the Burla police station.

Postgraduate students at SCB Medical College in Cuttack today expressed their support to the agitation by the Vimsar students. Vimsar director Pujahari said: "There should be a compromise on the issue. However, the students should first apologise to the man who was thrashed, admit their mistake of hurling stones at my residence and give an undertaking that they would maintain peace at the institution. A compromise will take place after that."

He said that there were three options left - compromise, arrest of the guilty students and their resultant rustication and the sine die closure of the institute.

Students' representative Himansu Mishra said: "We have resorted to cease-work agitation as the director here has created a negative environment in the institute. We are not willing to work under him. The director is taking decisions without consulting anybody. We want him to stop such activities. Moreover, we also demand that the director withdraw the case against the students and create a positive environment at the institute."

Tension erupted at Vimsar after two postgraduate students thrashed the attendant of a patient and subsequently pelted stones at Pujahari's residence on Friday night. The citizens of Burla, Sambalpur and Hirakud gathered at Burla and surrounded the police station demanding the arrest of the students concerned. The director also lodged a case at the police station in this regard.

Sambalpur police superintendent Sanjeev Arora had said yesterday: "We will examine the CCTV footage and start our investigation."

However, Pujahari alleged that all CCTV footage had been erased.