Sri Sairam College protests turn violent against campus director
Students allege that on Saturday night the college hired some goons who beat four to five students at around 11 pm
Chennai: Sri Sairam College is under siege again. Student protests turned violent after college authorities reportedly forced students to sign a paper to bring back the campus in-charge who was removed in accordance with the recent recommendations of an Anna University committee.
According to the students, for the past two days the college administration has cut Wi-Fi, electricity and water supply in the hostel as a majority of the students refused to sign the paper. Students allege that on Saturday night the college hired some goons who beat four to five students at around 11 pm.
Following which around 800 hostel students on Sunday morning broke the hostel doors, smashed the air conditioner, water tanks, buckets, chairs and tables and bed cushions, protesting the authoritarian approach. Around 200 police constables were deputed on campus after the ruckus.
The students feel that a boys’ hostel warden had given the keys to the goons and allowed them to beat the students. “We don’t want P. Balu to return as campus director. This is our demand. The police cannot come inside the campus, how come they were allowed inside?” asked a student. He also said the college has asked the hostel students to vacate the hostel or take a transfer certificate.
Furthermore, the college had also confiscated students' phones and through Facebook and other social media they are communicating with the day scholars as well as the alumni members of the college with the help of their laptops.
According to a student, the boys' hostel students were the only ones who were able to protest, while in the girl's hostel the warden has locked students in. The parents of the students had been calling the warden but her phone was switched off.
The CEO of the Sairam group had visited the college in the morning to listen to the grievances of the students, who stuck to their demand that Balu should not be made the campus director.
In response, they were told that since Balu was a trustee, he could not be removed. As there is no other branch, he cannot be transferred either. The principal was unavailable for comments. Meanwhile, the hostel students have invited day scholars to join in the protest.