Activists of Student Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Sunday conducted a demonstration urging the authorities to accept the demand of agitating students of Pondicherry University and remove Chandra Krishnamurthy from the Vice-Chancellor post.
Last week, the student’s agitation turned violent when the police resorted to lathicharge inside the campus leaving several students injured. Condemning the police action, the Pondicherry University Students Movement (PUSM) which is spearheading the strike, alleged that the police had targeted a few students and repeatedly rained blows on them in the police vehicle.
Activists of SFI and DYFI assembled near Kamarajar Statue and shouted slogans against the Vice-Chancellor.
Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) unit Secretary R. Rajangam took part in the agitation. They also said action should be initiated against the police personnel who unleashed violence against students who were agitating for a reasonable cause. SFI secretary A. Anand said a judicial enquiry should be ordered immediately on the violence unleashed by police personnel and non-teaching staff. The university campus has become a haven for anti-social elements and degradation crept into administration. Acceding to the demand of agitating students, the Union Ministry of Human Resources should remove Prof. Chandra Krishnamurthy from the post immediately.
“The prestigious central university in Puducherry is beset by too many controversies these days. The present Vice-Chancellor has been tarnishing the image of the university,” Saravanan, DYFI unit secretary alleged.
The activists also demanded that minimum fee structure which is vogue in the other central universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University to be implemented in the Pondicherry Central University. They also said 25 per cent reservation should be extended to the students of Puducherry in all courses and the university administration should implement the demands of students such as more hostel facilities.
Meanwhile, the office bearers of Pondicherry University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) has called for a meeting of its general body on Monday on the university campus to take up the issue of police action and to chart the future course of action.
