BHUBANESWAR: With the student union elections closing in, tension continued to spread across campuses over various issues including rejection of nomination papers in several colleges, even as three more institutions were shut indefinitely following unrest.
The Model Degree College in Nabarangpur district was closed sine die following unrest on the campus after the cancellation of the student union election there. The polls were reportedly called off because eligible candidates were unavailable. Leaders of the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) alleged that two of their candidates had been elected unopposed as president and general secretary, but college authorities refused to recognise the results.
In the same district, a dispute over the election at Umerkote College led to a clash between two groups of non-students, leaving two persons critically injured. One of them was allegedly stabbed and was shifted to Visakhapatnam after his condition worsened.
On the other hand, protests erupted at several colleges following publication of final candidate lists, with students alleging arbitrary rejection of nominations and political interference in the election process.
Owing to student unrest and fear of violence, sine die was declared at two other colleges in Deogarh and Gop.
At Nimapara Autonomous College in Puri district, tension prevailed after around 39 of the 53 nominations were reportedly rejected. Agitating students and local leaders locked the main gate of the college and staged a sit-in, demanding a fair and transparent election process. The All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and BCJD leaders along with aspiring candidates joined the protest.
Some students alleged that several nominations were rejected despite the candidates having attendance of 75 pc or more. College authorities, however, said many students had crowded the campus to file their nominations after 12.30 pm, despite the nomination window being scheduled from 10 am to 1 pm.
A similar protest was reported at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (NSCB) college in Sambalpur, where students alleged bias in the nomination process and accused the college administration of favouring candidates affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). BJD district president Rohit Pujari and Rengali MLA Sudarshan Haripal joined the agitation extending support to the protesting students.
In Cuttack, a group of students staged protest on Ravenshaw University campus alleging rejection of nomination of a candidate, who was seeking to contest for the post of president as an Independent.
Students backed by ABVP also staged protest outside Shailabala Women’s Autonomous College alleging that nominations of seven of their candidates were rejected on the ground of short attendance and accused BCJD’s involvement in it. The ABVP leaders also alleged rejection of nomination forms of many of their candidates in Christ college.
Earlier, cancellation of student union elections in four colleges in Nayagarh district had triggered resentment on Friday, especially at Prajamandal women’s college, prompting authorities to declare sine die. A women’s college in Kendrapara district was also closed sine die following campus unrest. Following Friday night’s campus unrest, security was tightened around Utkal university campus.
According to figures after the nomination process ended on Friday, 1,196 of 8,370 forms at the college level and 49 of 429 at the university level were rejected. Around 1,650 candidates have been elected unopposed.
