BHUBANESWAR: Demanding elections to universities and colleges in the state, members of All Odisha Students’ Voice on Monday staged a protest.
The protestors, moving in a rally towards Naveen Nivas, were stopped by police near Sishu Bhawan Square. They were carrying eggs and posters of the higher education minister. Police around 100 agitators were stopped near Sishu Bhawan and over 30 were taken into preventive custody.
For the fifth year in a row, student union elections may not be held in higher education institutions of Odisha. Although stakeholders in the state’s higher education system said the college elections have been called off this time too, there is no official word from the Higher Education department in this regard yet.
In 2017 when the last election was held, five universities including Utkal and Ravenshaw and eight colleges did not go to the polls due to student violence. College elections have not been held since 2018. Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari had recently told The New Indian Express that no decision has yet been taken on lifting the curb on college elections in Odisha.