RGUKT protests: Admin issues outpasses to douse agitation; students unfazed

Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi University for Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) also known as IIIT Basar has started issuing outpasses to students in a bid to quell the protests. Reports said first and second-year intermediate students have been issued outpasses for the last two days.

"Usually, outpassses are given when we move out of the campus after getting confirmation from our parents or guardian. Especially for intermediate students, outpasses must be issued only after checking with their parents. Since Saturday, the students are being issued outpasses without any kinds of checks. This is aimed to reduce the strength of the students inside the campus and to quell the protest," says Amulya, a student in 2nd year of Electrical Engineering at IIIT Basar, who is also a member of the Students Governing Council at the university.

Meanwhile, students have extended the protest on the sixth day. Earlier, they were protesting from 8 am to 9 pm. Now the protests will continue through the night.

Protesting students also receive reports that government may issue a notification for holidays soon. But the students are determined that they would not disperse from the main gate of the university unless all their twelve demands are met.

"Four years back, when I was in my first-year intermediate, there was a similar protest. Then the government announced a holiday. Later electricity supply was snapped. Food and other facilities were stopped. All of us were forced to go back home. But this time, even if they declare holidays, we are determined that we would not call off the protest unless CM KCR or Minister KTR visit us and meet our demands," says Amulya.

Little improvement, but students are not hopeful

Students say that for the last two three days, the quality of mess food has improved a little and the authorities have brought small changes to the menu. Even the plumbers and electricians, whom the students had to call multiple times to get their problems fixed, are now knocking at each door and asking if the students are facing any issues. But the students are wary because they feel it may be the result of protests.

Government response

On 18 June, state Endowments Minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy, who is also an MLA from Nirmal along with district Collector Musharraf Faruqui and newly appointed Director of RGUKT Dr. Satish Kumar Peddapelli visited the campus and held discussions with the student representatives.

"We put forth 12 demands and they were addressing only one or two of them. It includes improving resources in the library. They also asked us to stop protesting and threatened they can use police force to disperse the protestors," said one of the protesting students.

On the same day, Telangana Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy appealed to the students to call off the protest. She said that the government stands by the protesting students. "She first said that our issues were silly and now she is saying that they are serious and that the government stands with us. How can we believe?" asks Amulya.

On Sunday, parents of some of the students of IIIT Basar also protested in Siddipet.

Students of IIIT Basar started protesting on June 14 against the poor quality of education and lack of facilities at the institution. Students have made 12 major demands. They include improving the faculty-student ratio, the quality of food and water; appropriate sports, ICT, library, washroom, and hostel facilities; appointing a permanent Vice-Chancellor, and good teaching staff among others.