Odisha students' body demands elections in varsities, gherao higher education minister's residence

The All Odisha Students Voice (AOSV), a students’ body in Bhubaneswar, launched a protest on Thursday demanding students' elections in all colleges and universities in the State.

Members of the organisation led by its President Bibhu Prasad Jena and Biplab Parida took out a bike rally and gheraoed the official residence of Odisha Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari in Bhubaneswar.

The students alleged that ragging is on the rise because there are no elected representatives on the university campuses. The issues pertaining to the educational institutions are left unresolved because of this too, they claimed.

Speaking to the media, Bibhu Prasad Jena said, “It is really sad that despite our repeated requests and protests, our demands are not met yet. And, this is not an unjustified demand as well. A students Union in a college augurs healthy atmosphere inside the campus.”

“Despite being a student leader in his college days, the Minister himself has turned deaf ear to our demands. The student leaders and representatives can work for the upliftment of their colleges and develop the infrastructure,” said Jena.

“From ragging to drug peddling, illegal activities are on the rise in college campuses. It needs students’ representatives as soon as possible. We demand student union elections as soon as possible. If our demands are not met, we will sit on an indefinite hunger strike,” Jena warned.

(Reported By Jagdish Das, OTV)