The Central University of Orissa was shutdown indefinitely on Thursday over fears of violence during the student protest that is underway in the state, PTI reported. Vice-Chancellor Sachidananda Mohanty said the campus was closed to avoid any “untoward incidents”.
Students were asked to leave the Koraput campus and police personnel were deployed at the varsity. “The students were out of control and there were chances of violence, so we had to declare sine die to maintain discipline on the campus,” Odisha TV quoted Mohanty as saying.
The students questioned the decision to close the university while stressing that their protest was a peaceful one, the news agency reported.
The students have been protesting against the administration with a list of several demands, including permanent faculty and 24/7 healthcare facilities, since Wednesday. A meeting between the students’ representatives and the university administration ended inconclusively.
Hostel facilities for research scholars, 24-hour water supply in hostels, free Wi-Fi and the installation of an ATM were among some of the students’ demands, Odisha Sun Times reported.
Mohanty claimed that the administration had addressed more than 90% of their demands. “The appointment of regular faculties in the university requires sanction from the government and it is in process,” Mohanty told PTI.
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