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Students block two highways

Staff Reporter

Arrest of assailants sought

BERHAMPUR: It was day of road blockade by agitating students in the city on Thursday.

They blocked the NH 5 passing by the city and the NH 217 passing through it demanding immediate arrest of main culprits behind the attack on the president of the Students’ Welfare Club of Berhampur University, Santosh Das, on Monday.

Tyres and logs were burnt to by them to block the roads. Students of the Berhampur University along with activists of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) blocked the NH 5 at Gopalpur square. The NH 217 was blocked by the students union of Lingaraj Law College in front of their college. The same highway was blocked by students of the Binayak Acharya College near their college. All road blockades started at around 11.30 am and police had to intervene to clear the roads.

Hundreds of trucks and other passenger vehicles were stranded on the highways for around an hour due to these road blockades.

The president of the Ganjam district unit of the NSUI, Ajit Kumar Panda, said their organisation had extended support to agitating students as they suspect the main culprits behind the attack on Santosh were being protected by police as they had links with the liquor mafia and ruling party.

Mr. Panda said as their next step they would start continuous dharna in front of the office of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Southern Range, if the main culprits behind the attack were not arrested. He alleged that for long the students’ leaders of the university like Santosh were opposing the liquor mafia using areas of university campus. For which he was facing regular threats and attacks.

Meanwhile, Berhampur Superintendent of Police, Dayal Gangwar promised to nab the culprits behind the attack on the student leader. He however cautioned the student activists against disrupting public life otherwise legal action would also be initiated against them also.

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