The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : Students unite for justice

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 24, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Students unite for justice

THE BARBARIC murder of the MCA final year student, Sri Lakshmi, at Sarada Post-Graduate College in the city has triggered emotional reactions from the student community across the State. Students, especially girls, are up in arms against the murder. The savagery has jolted the student community as it has once again brought to the fore the sensitive issue of lack of adequate security to girls in educational institutions. The city has been witnessing vociferous protests ever since the incident took place on Monday. Representatives of various student organisations have hit the road demanding justice by ensuring a stringent punishment to the accused who is at large. As part of the series of agitations launched by the Samata Student Federation, the activists on Wednesday staged a dharna by squatting in front of the main gate of the PG college. Their leader, Ravi Teja, submitted a memorandum to the two-member fact-finding committee deputed by the National Commission for Women to probe the murder. Nirmala Seetaraman, member of the NCW and Magsasay awardee, Shanta Sinha, comprise the panel.

Ravi Teja found fault with the Revenue officials for having failed to inform the student bodies about the visit of the NCW members to the city. Ms. Nirmala, however, pacified him by assuring him that the committee would give him audience later at the State guest house. Tension built up in the vicinity for a while when students belonging to some group, started pelting stones at the college building, breaking some of the window panes. The city unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party staged a dharna in front of the college, seeking immediate action against the guilty. In a separate memorandum, the leaders of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, condemned the brutal murder and blamed the college management for the incident. Pointing out that the accused, Manohar, was allowed inside the college premises on the fateful day in spite of the fact that he was ineligible to attend the viva voce in progress, the ABVP leaders said this only proved the negligent attitude of the college management.

Meanwhile, the principal, staff and students of P.B. Siddhartha College of Arts and Science, have expressed shock. In a statement, the college principal, S.V. Subramanya Sastry, said it was unfortunate that such an incident had taken place in the portals of learning. The Mahila Samakhya leader, Tadi Shakuntala, briefed the two members about the sequence of events that followed the brutal murder.

By P. Sujatha Varma,

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