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Students demand removal of Lucknow V-C

LUCKNOW: A day after Lucknow University was closed indefinitely, students staged a dharna near the campus gate on Saturday demanding removal of Vice-Chancellor R. P. Singh and an immediate rollback of his "autocratic decisions".

The campus wore a deserted look while a large posse of police and PAC was deployed to prevent any untoward incident in the wake of the protests by the students.

A number of students sat near the university gate at Shaheed Chowk demanding Prof. Singh's resignation for his "autocratic decisions".

Prof. Singh had closed the university and its seven associated colleges sine die on Friday citing his inability to control "lawlessness" on the campus and also cancelled students' union polls scheduled for December 16, asking the students to vacate the hostels within 24 hours.

On Friday night, students had assured the district administration that they would not indulge in violence.

University Proctor A.N. Singh had registered FIRs against prominent student leaders for their involvement in "violent protests", but most of them went underground to evade arrest.

Students were seen vacating hostels, though authorities were not strictly enforcing the order in view of competitive examinations scheduled this mon".

"UPPCS examinations are going on and we don't want to disturb the students. Hostels will not be vacated at the cost of disturbing serious students,'' said university spokesman Manoj Dixit.

The Vice-Chancellor asserted that the university would remain closed until all "criminal elements" were flushed out from the hostels.

He, however, allowed students who have to appear in competitive examinations to stay on in the hostels.

"I stick to my stand to close down the university and get the hostels vacated from the criminal elements. The university will remain closed until they are removed," Prof. Singh said.

He said 30 to 40 per cent of the hostels were vacated but alleged that student leaders were "terrorising" and "misguiding" students and asking them not to leave the hostels.

"We are committed to cleaning up the university from anti-social elements. All unauthorised occupants would be removed from the hostel forcibly," he said.

About the ruling Samajwadi Party leaders' demand to dismiss him, Prof. Singh said he did not want to react to such comments.

He alleged that the university was suffering from gross financial indiscipline before he joined it but he discouraged it by awarding works on contract to student leaders.

Meanwhile, the student leaders said they would take classes from Monday. "Seniors will take classes of their juniors so that study is not affected," a student leader said. - PTI.

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