A girl student of the Sri Sai Baba National Degree College in Anantapur got bleeding injuries on November 8 morning when the police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse a large gathering of college students and student union leaders protesting against the alleged option given by the college management to give up their ‘Aided’ status.
The students protested against the privatisation of the aided sections in the college and claimed that it would increase their college fees enormously. When the Anantapur police took students into custody to disperse them questioning as to why they were agitating while no Government Order had been issued to that effect, a clash ensued between the police and the students. About 500 students supported by the SFI gathered at the main gate of the SSBN College to protest the management’s decision.
In this melee, the lathi of police person hit the head of a girl student identified as, Navya, and she was bleeding. The police immediately shifted her to hospital and she received four stitches on her head as part of treatment and was sent home for safety. The III Town Circle Inspector Reddappa has been criticised by the students for resorting to the lathi charge which resulted in injury to two other students also, while they were agitating peacefully. Some mediapersons videographing the incident were also stopped by the police, the mediaperons alleged.
The State government had on September 24 given the option to the Aided Colleges to surrender their aided posts and get derecognised and continue as private colleges. The student leaders demanded the management handing over of the college to the State government so that the purpose of setting up such a college set up by philanthropist Sirivaram Adinarayana Rao is served. They opposed the decision of PLN Reddy, the current chairman of the college, to fully privatize the college as the majority of the students were from very poor backgrounds.
Students opposed the privatisation of the college, which was set up by Late Adinarayana Ro by donating 5 acres of prime land in the city.
