E-Paper
Time to rid LUof criminals: VC
LAMENTING THE declining law and order situation on the campus, Lucknow University Vice-Chancellor RP Singh said the roots of student leaders with criminal antecedents were deeply entrenched and time had come to get rid of them. He said all possible steps would be taken to weed out criminals and criminality from the campuses. The V-C also expressed concern over the general law and order situation in the State. He questioned: ?Why are capable government officials removed or transferred from their original posit??
LAMENTING THE declining law and order situation on the campus, Lucknow University Vice-Chancellor RP Singh said the roots of student leaders with criminal antecedents were deeply entrenched and time had come to get rid of them. He said all possible steps would be taken to weed out criminals and criminality from the campuses.
The V-C also expressed concern over the general law and order situation in the State. He questioned: “Why are capable government officials removed or transferred from their original posit?” He regretted how student leaders move on the campuses with several gunners and asked: “If they are students, why do they need protection?”
The V-C requested the state administration to remove gunners and cancel the arm licenses of the student leaders’ as they are the troublemakers. He said:
“Apathy of the police and the district administration officials could be gauged by the fact that they remain mute spectators when student leaders are less in number. On the contrary, police wait and let student leaders accumulate in a large number. And then it becomes difficult to control the mob. My point is why they don’t act right at the beginning.”
When asked to comment on the Chief Minister’s recent allegation that student leaders were not indisciplined or criminals but forced to become like that, the V-C said: “We do not make criminals. Student leaders come in as criminals demanding admission.” But, he refused to make any comment further on the CM’s statement and added that there was no place for criminals on the varsity campus.
The V-C justified the collective decision of indefinite closure of LU and degree colleges. He said law and order situation on the campus was not conducive for carrying out academic activities. The V-C adds: “The prevailing mayhem could be controlled only by taking such tough measures. We would take all possible steps to weed out criminals and their activities from the campus.”
He stated that moratorium on election was equally required as in the given situation it was not conductive to conduct the elections. He clarified that whenever the elections were be held it would be as per the Lyngdoh panel recommendations. “LU hostels have become safe haven for criminal elements, hence it was necessary to get them vacated,” he said. When asked if the decision of sine die closure and getting hostels vacated would hit common students adversely, he said: “There was no other way out. We will ensure that the university and colleges were run in an disciplined manner so that the aspirations of more than one lakh well-meaning students were fulfilled. I am confident students would bear with us.”
LU officials were of the view that they would ensure that academic session did not get derailed and would strive hard to open the campus as quickly as possible. But it would be done in a phased manner.
