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Most demands met, Patiala law varsity students call off protest
The protest started on September 22 after vice-chancellor Jai Shankar Singh’s unannounced visit to the girl’s hostel.
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Patiala
Students of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala, who were up in arms against the vice-chancellor (VC) for the past three weeks decided to end their protest on Friday.
The decision came after an external committee formed on the directions of the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana high court held parleys with agitating students. The chief justice had included professor Faizan Mustafa, who is the vice-chancellor of Chanakya National Law University, Patna, into the external committee following apprehensions raised by students over the earlier committee.
The protest started on September 22 after vice-chancellor Jai Shankar Singh’s unannounced visit to the girl’s hostel. Students accused the VC of violating students’ privacy and some girl students alleged that the VC entered their hostel rooms “without prior information”, which they viewed as an invasion of privacy. They further claimed that the VC had questioned their choice of clothing.
The VC has already stated that he had visited the hostel only to address the complaints of overcrowding owing to the double-sharing arrangements.
Though the students’ main demand, resignation of the VC, has not been fulfilled, a host of other demands are learned to have been met.
The demands which the university authorities have agreed to fulfil following the three-week-long sit-in, include, no entry of male faculty member inside the girls’ hostel; 24-hour prior intimation to carry out inspection of the hostels; constitution of RGNUL students’ body; change in library timings; no action against students for participating in protest; and reduction in hostel fee.
After calling off their stir, the students attended online classes on Friday and will also attend offline classes from Monday.
Earlier, the external committee comprised of prof Archana Mishra, vice chancellor of Dr BR Ambedkar National Law University, Sonepat, and Giribala Singh, president of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bhopal.
“After holding discussion with the committee and keeping the loss of studies in mind, we have called off the protest for the time being. The university authorities have agreed to fulfil all our secondary demands, and many of them have already been fulfilled. As to the conduct of university vice chancellor, we have already put forward our apprehensions to the external committee. We are hopeful that the committee will address our concerns related to the conduct of the VC,” said a student leader who was part of the protest.
