Mangalore: Students of PA College rise in protest against management
Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (EP)
Mangalore, Mar 15: Students of P A College near Konaje here boycotted classes and protested on Saturday, March 15, against what they termed as 'high-handedness' of the College management committee and lack of basic facilities in the College.
They burned an effigy of the student welfare officer and demanded that he be expelled.
They said that there is scarcity of water in the College and students in the hostels are facing hardships. "The student welfare officer Abdul Rehman has caused mental agony to the student who questioned about scarcity of water for the last four days. The student has fallen ill due to the mental agony he faced and is undergoing treatment at the hospital.
"No action has been taken regarding theft in the hostel. When a student asked for justice, the management threatened to expel the student from the college. The welfare officer has been insulting the students with lewd remarks," the students alleged.
"Inferior quality food is being supplied in the hostel. When the students complain that there are worms in the food, the official said that worms are good for health and asked us to eat them," the students claimed.
The protestors further said, "The official who supplies food to the hostel has remained indifferent. The students are getting debarred for paltry reasons. The officials complain to the parents about the students that they are drug addicts. The students feel mentally harassed due to the allegations."
The students shouted slogans from morning till the afternoon. An effigy of the welfare officer was set on fire. The students did not opt for compromise when the management committee called them saying that they will be targeted for expulsion.
The college management admitted that there is scarcity of water in the college and water is being supplied to the hostel by tankers. "The students have added other allegations in their protests though the main problem is only of water. There were no complaints of worms in the food. We will take action if there is written complaint.
"We never asked to eat food with worms. The hospitalized student is suffering from giddiness and is in the hospital for that reason. His parents visited the college on Friday. We have spoken to them," said R D'Souza, the management official. He further said that a board meeting will be held to solve the problems.