IVRI Students Strike Over Rs 3,000 Stipend as Fake Drug Call Centre Busted in Bareilly
More than 150 interns at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly staged a protest demanding their monthly stipend be raised from Rs 3,000, while police separately busted a fake call centre selling counterfeit drugs and arrested two people. A village development officer was also suspended for marking a living pensioner as deceased in government records, and a family filed an FIR against doctors over a delivery that left a woman permanently infertile.
🎓 IVRI Interns Protest Rs 3,000 Stipend, Demand Rs 25,000
Interns at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly staged a public protest against the stipend paid during their mandatory year-long internship. More than 150 interns took part in the demonstration, demanding that their monthly stipend be substantially raised. The Times of India reported that the interns currently receive Rs 3,000 as their stipend for the 12-month internship programme at the institution. The protesters argued the amount is inadequate given both the cost of living and the intensive practical demands of a veterinary internship. Their collective demand is Rs 25,000 for the full 12-month internship period, rather than the Rs 3,000 currently disbursed. IVRI is one of India's foremost veterinary research institutions, and its interns carry out hands-on work central to the institute's functioning. The protest drew national media coverage from outlets including India Today, NDTV and Careers360, reflecting the breadth of concern the stipend issue has generated. Veterinary interns perform clinical and research duties that require considerable skill and commitment yet have historically been compensated at levels far below those considered adequate by the students themselves. The interns called on institute administration to address the gap between current disbursements and what they consider fair remuneration. No immediate official response was reported. [2]
🗳️ Fake Call Centre Selling Counterfeit Drugs Busted, Two Held
Police in Bareilly uncovered a fraudulent call centre operation that was selling counterfeit sexual enhancement drugs to customers, ThePrint reported. The facility had been operating under the cover of a call centre business while distributing bogus pharmaceutical products. Two people were taken into custody in connection with the bust. The operation reflects a pattern of illegal pharmaceutical activity that uses commercial setups like call centres to evade immediate detection by enforcement agencies. Counterfeit drugs of this kind carry serious health risks for consumers, who have no way to verify the composition or safety of what they are purchasing. The fake call centre model is particularly effective for such operations as it provides a plausible business identity while keeping the actual product distribution out of sight. The two individuals held are expected to face charges related to the manufacture or distribution of counterfeit pharmaceutical products, and to running an illegal commercial enterprise. Authorities have encouraged residents to purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies and to be wary of products offered through telephonic or unverified channels. The Bareilly police have been active in cracking down on such covert operations that exploit consumer trust in the city and surrounding areas. [4]
Doctors Face FIR After Delivery Leaves Patient Permanently Infertile
A woman in Bareilly was left permanently infertile following what her family has described as a botched delivery at a local hospital, leading to an FIR being filed against the doctors involved, the Times of India reported. The complaint alleges that medical negligence during the childbirth procedure caused irreversible harm to the patient that destroyed her ability to have further children. The family's decision to file an FIR reflects their view that the damage was avoidable and the result of professional failure rather than an unavoidable complication. Medical negligence cases involving childbirth outcomes are among the most sensitive that police and courts handle, given the context of patient vulnerability and the consequences that errors in obstetric care can produce. The incident adds to a series of cases in Uttar Pradesh in which families have turned to police intervention when they believed civil or administrative remedies were insufficient to address harm caused during hospital procedures. The doctors named in the FIR face potential criminal liability under provisions dealing with negligence that causes grievous bodily harm. The woman and her family will likely need to pursue both the criminal complaint and a civil medical negligence claim to seek comprehensive redress for the injury. No public statement from the hospital or the accused doctors had been reported at the time of publication. [5]
VDO Suspended for Marking Living Pensioner as Dead
A village development officer in the Bareilly district was suspended after it came to light that he had recorded a living pensioner as deceased in official government records, the Times of India reported. The error would have had direct consequences for the pensioner, likely resulting in the disruption or cessation of pension payments to which the individual was entitled. Village development officers are responsible for maintaining vital local records including those related to pension disbursements, welfare scheme eligibility and population registers, making accuracy in record-keeping central to their official function. The suspension indicates that the district administration treated the incident as serious misconduct, whether arising from gross negligence or from deliberate falsification. Pensioners in rural areas are particularly exposed to harm when government functionaries fail in their recording duties, as many lack the means to quickly contest incorrect official entries or navigate the bureaucratic process to have errors corrected. The affected pensioner would have been required to provide proof of being alive to the authorities, a process that can take considerable time and cause financial hardship in the interim period. An investigation is expected to determine whether the error was an isolated incident or part of a broader pattern of records mismanagement in the area. [8]
Sources: [2] The Times of India · [4] ThePrint · [5] The Times of India · [8] The Times of India