The Students Central Association of Himachal Pradesh University staged a massive protest rally in the university campus on Saturday against the decision to dissolve the duly elected students’ body.
Secretary of the association and Students’ Federation of India activist Piyush Sewal said the student community, irrespective of its ideology, condemned the authorities for disbanding the democratically-elected body.
CPI (M) State Committee and the Deputy Mayor of Shimla, Tikender Panwar, has written to the Election Commission against the authorities for acting as agents of the incumbent government. He said the Dean of Student Welfare, who is the member of teachers’ cell of the Congress, had taken offence to the SFI’s call to reject the Congress in the coming elections and was behind the decision to dissolve the elected body. Even if the university’s argument was to be believed — that there was a scuffle in between two groups — how could it dissolve the elected union, has the mandate of more than three thousand students, he asked.
The SFI-controlled SCA has alleged that the university authorities are working under the pressure of the incumbent Congress government. SFI leaders alleged that activists of the Congress’ student wing, the National Students Union of India, attacked some of their activists when they intervened in an incident of eve-teasing.
The police, allegedly acting at the behest of authorities, arrested top SFI leaders from the campus instead of questioning the Youth Congress and NSUI activists, SCA joint-secretary Monica Daada claimed.
The university management has cut the evening library hours and hostel entry timings as a precaution. But the SCA objected to it since exams were approaching, and wanted a dialogue with the management which was not allowed by the strong presence of police in the campus, complained the student representatives.
The NSUI, meanwhile, called the SFI a violent organisation and said it spoiled the academic atmosphere in the campus. NSUI leader said the SFI was running the CPI(M)’s election office from the university hostel.
