ABVP backed boycott enters second day in University College; Students forced out of classroom

Mangalore, February 2: Nearly 200 students of University College in Hampankatta here, staged a dharna on Thursday, the second day of ABVP-backed boycott, seeking the fulfillment of their various demands including conducting the Jago Bharath campaign in the College premises by inviting its convener Chakravarti Sulibele as a chief guest for 'Vivekananda Jayanti' scheduled to be held on February 6.

The protesters have also allegedly threatened other students who wanted to sit inside the classes defying the ABVP backed boycott call.

Meanwhile a group of peaceful students has submitted a memorandum to the College Principal Laxminarayana Bhatta, demanding to take action against the 'goons' who stormed into a class room on Thursday morning forcing the students to participate in the protest.

A girl student of a first year degree course, on condition of anonymity said that though the protest was going on under the banner of 'Students Union of University College', ABVP had indeed hatched this conspiracy.

The Principal has stated in a press release that the disciplinary committee has decided not to give permission for the students to host Jago Bharth programmes and invite Mr Sulibele to deliver the keynote address on Vivekanada Jayanti. The decision was taken in order avoid the possibility of the spread of disharmony among the students of different religions and castes, he said.

Mr Bhatta also brushed aside the media reports, which quoted the protesters saying that the College had denied permission to celebrate Vivekanada Jayanti and that the Principal had initially had given permission to invite Mr Sulibele and then took a U-turn. “All these are baseless allegations. We are celebrating Vivekanada Jayanti every year peacefully and this year too the programme is scheduled for February 6. However, we had never given permission for the students to invite Mr Sulibele”, he said.

The principal also clarified that the College cannot fulfill all the demands of the students without reviewing them.

The demands of the protesters also include sacking of the principal for inviting DYFI leader Muneer Katipalla to deliver a lecture in a programme, and not taking stringent action against a few lecturers of the college including Pattabhirama Somayaji for allegedly “supporting communalism and naxalism”.

Meanwhile, in a press release, ABVP has stated that it would support the ongoing protest.