The 500-odd students and interns at Kalyani College of Medicine and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital in Nadia vacated their hostels on Thursday evening in the wake of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s ultimatum to agitating doctors across the state to end the protest or leave hostels.

The students left the hostels by 6pm, alleging lack of security and saying that they had heeded to advice from their parents.

Prithwis Sinha, an intern, said: “We are feeling unsafe here at night, particularly after chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s aggressive handling of the situation. We had expected a compassionate reaction from her, but she has incited people against us.”

He alleged that “outsiders” had been seen loitering in the area at night.