The Hindu : New Delhi News : Dyal Singh students lathi-charged

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Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008
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New Delhi

Dyal Singh students lathi-charged

Staff Reporter

Were protesting against the Principal to press for their demands

Students were talking to the Principal about their long pending charter of demands
Principal says the teachers had instigated the students into gheraoing him

NEW DELHI: The Delhi police lathi-charged students and teachers of Dyal Singh College on Tuesday while they were protesting against Principal I. S. Bakshi to press for their demands.

“There was a heavy police presence in college since morning. The students were talking to the Principal about their long pending charter of demands inside his room. They were protesting about the lack of infrastructure in the laboratories,” said Sachin N., president of the college teachers’ association, on Tuesday.

“The teachers were waiting outside the room. That’s when the police began lathi-charging the students. When we tried to intervene, the police personnel kicked us. Students were terrified and there was complete chaos in the college,” he added.

The teachers had also staged a protest against Dr. Bakshi on Tuesday alleging administrative and financial breakdown in the college.

However, the Principal said the teachers had instigated the students into gheraoing him.

“I am being harassed by the teachers almost every day. They have been demanding an 11 per cent interest rate on their Provident Fund, which is not in my hands. They just want to protest and are not interested in taking their classes. On Tuesday, I addressed the students in the seminar hall and managed to satisfy them to quite an extent,” said Dr. Bakshi.

“The students appeared convinced before some teachers instigated them against me. Thereafter, I walked into my room and the children followed me inside. They kept shouting slogans and ransacked my room. That’s when the police tried to remove them from there,” he added.

University Proctor Gurmeet Singh visited the college later on Tuesday evening and met the teachers and the non-teaching staff.

“The college staff association has given me a complaint that I will hand over to the Vice-Chancellor. He will look into the matter and perhaps an inquiry into today’s incident will be instituted on Wednesday,” Dr. Singh said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi University Teachers’ Association president Aditya Narayan Misra has condemned the incident.

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