Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 2: Authorities of Utkal University finally decided Thursday against holding the students’ union elections this year. The move came as a dampener of the high spirits of students’ organisations readying for the polls amid an atmosphere rife with controversies.
The varsity’s Post Graduate (PG) Council came to the conclusion after an hour-long meeting, saying it has decided to keep its previous decision of withholding this year’s polls unchanged. “After a prolonged discussion, we have decided that it is safe for students and in their interest that the election remains scrapped this year at Utkal University. Our earlier decision remains unchanged. There will be no elections this year,” said PG Council chairman Ranjan Bal with a touch of finality after the meeting.
Soon after news of the PG Council’s decision came, candidates and supporters of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parsihad (ABVP) rushed to the main gate of the university campus and forced it closed. Then they started chanting slogans against the PG Council and the university vice-chancellor, whom they held responsible for the scrapping of the elections.
Meanwhile, the Commissionerate Police (CP), anticipating trouble on the campus in the wake of the decision not to hold the polls, put up a three-tire security arrangement on Utkal University campus. “We are ready to take on any kind of situation caused by the protesting students. We have also deployed more traffic personnel at Vani Vihar Square to ease the movement of vehicles and to avoid repetition of any incident like the recent one in which a woman died,” said a police official present on the varsity campus.
Despite the scrapping of polls at Utkal University, confusion prevailed over the fate of the exercise at some city colleges including Maharishi College of Natural Law and Ekamra Degree College. These colleges are yet to decide whether to go ahead and hold the polls or to scrap the polls. The confusion led to students of both the colleges agitating in front of the offices of their respective principals.
“We will have an all-staff meeting Saturday and decide whether to conduct elections or not. The violent protests by the students today are just not needed. We have experienced the worst in the past elections. We will consider all aspects and will come up with a definite conclusion,” said Maharishi College of Natural Law principal Basant Sahu.