Students stage dharna to protest poll ban in Utkal University

Bhubaneswar: Protesting the decision of Utkal University's Post Graduate (PG)Council to cancel campus polls this year, students of the university organised a dharna in front of the varsity main gate today.

“Like this year, the students' union elections were cancelled last year too. Neither convocation nor any developmental activity was carried out in the university for which students protested and staged demonstration earlier. If such activities are termed as violent, the authorities supposedly don’t want us to rise for our rights,” said Soumyaranjan Mohapatra, a student of the University.

According to sources, the varsity's PG Council cancelled the elections in the campus this year owing to tension in the premises. This prompted students to protest before the VC office on Saturday and in front of the university main gate today.

“We are protesting so that university officials will take the students' union polls seriously and will reconsider their decision. It’s very shameful that such situations repeatedly occur on the campus of a NAAC approved 'A+' university, owing to security reasons,” rued Nitish Kumar Bhola, a protesting student.

Meanwhile, with student election round the corner, poll fever has gripped other colleges and universities of the State capital.