Siliguri, May 18: Students of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) launched an awareness campaign today, as part of their agitation against the proposal for reserving seats for other backward classes (OBC) in higher studies.

?We have planned to spread awareness about the quota issue among students in north Bengal,? said Snehasish Karmakar, the spokesperson for the NBMCH students? union. ?We have formed groups, which have started visiting schools, colleges and even the university from today. They will tell the students about the reservation proposition and the disadvantages of it. Our main idea is to create a consensus among students in the region.?

The NBMCH students have been boycotting their classes since last Saturday, while junior doctors, including interns and house-staff, stopped attending most of the outdoor departments at the hospital. Their agitation also included bringing out rallies, blocking highways and burning effigies of Union HRD minister Arjun Singh over the past one week.

The protesters have also decided to take the consensus of their teachers. ?So far, none of the teachers has opposed our agitation. Some of them are even willing to help us financially so that we can carry forward our movement,? Karmakar said.

The students had planned to organise two street-corner meetings at Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri stations today, but abstained from doing so following requests from police. Instead, they started a signature campaign with residents of the area.

Students of Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College (JGEC), who have already extended moral support to the medical students, planned to organise a convention on the issue. ?Reservation of seats for OBCs cannot be a solution to help the downtrodden. People from all walks of life will attend the convention we are going to hold,? said Tamojit Chakrobarty, the spokesperson for the JGEC students? union.