Student groups demand university election

--agitated Utkal students call off dharna  

BHUBANESWAR: Following the decision taken by the PG Council of the Utkal University to cancel this year’s Students’ Union election due to violence on the campus recently, the two rivalry student groups of the university on Sunday here demanded before the authority to rollback the decision of canceling the Students’ Union election for the current year.

The students injured on July 13 group-clash inside the Utkal University campus, who had staged indefinite dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan from July 14, called off the dharna on Sunday with the presence of leader of opposition in State Assembly Bhupinder Singh and Congress leader Soumyaranjan Patnaik.   

The injured student group came in a bike procession to the university campus with their other friends. During their entry to the university campus, the security officers and police forces didn’t give them permission to enter into the campus as a result scuffle between police officials and rivalry students’ group took place there. After a minor scuffle, the injured student groups entered to the university campus and went to their respective hostels.

The university authority held a meeting to bring peace in the campus. Students of the either rivalry group were present in the meeting. The students demanded the university authority should provide compensation and protection to the injured students, to arrest the culprits immediately and expel those students against whom they had lodged FIR. The authority reassured them to provide compensation and action against the culprits very soon.

On the hand, injured student Sangram Keshari Patra opposed the university authority’s decision to cancel the Students’ Union election. He said his friends were in the favour of Students’ Union election.   

“Students’ Union election is needed. To air the voice of the students and to make the university authority aware about the problems of the students, student leaders’ role is very important and the university should not stop the election,” said Utkal University Students’ Union president Tanmay Swain.    

It may be noted that on July 13, five students were injured in a group-clash between two student groups at the Utkal University campus here. The fall out originated from an argument regarding set up of a help desk in the campus.