NEW DELHI, May 20: Thousands of students and professionals marched through the streets of India’s capital on Saturday to protest a government affirmative action plan to reserve more university seats for lower castes.

Chanting ‘Stop this injustice’, doctors, lawyers, executives and parents joined the rally against boosting quotas for lower-caste students in top medical, engineering and other professional colleges to 49.5 per cent from 22.5 per cent.

The turnout by other professions at the demonstration marked a widening of the protests that until now have been spearheaded by medical students, whose strikes have crippled health care services in state-run hospitals across India.

Medical students from across the country arrived by coach in New Delhi, hoisting banners which read: “Doctors need to be preserved, not reserved.”

Police estimated the crowd at the New Delhi protest at 5,000 people.

“I am from a lower caste but I did not take advantage of the existing quota. If the government increases the quota, it will badly affect medical standards,” said Dr Pranshu Bishnoi.—AFP