NEW DELHI/SHILLONG: Agitating National Institute of Technology (NIT) students at Jantar Mantar, who left Shillong following an attack on them, have alleged that they were not getting any response, let alone remedy, from the HRD Ministry or the management for their safe return and continued study.
However, the NIT and police authorities in Shillong on Thursday assured protection to the students of NIT campuses.
The students are on a protest dharna in New Delhi demanding justice and restoration of a congenial atmosphere in their campus for their return. They alleged that they were attacked by some outsiders repeatedly both inside their campus and in their hostels.
Speaking to the media, the students said that they had sent letters, emails and tweets starting from the Union Minister for HRD to the NIT authorities back in Shillong. But till date, they have not received any reply from any of them.
Several students of NIT Shillong, from different parts of the country, were evacuated by the administration on April 7 with the help of paramilitary forces to Guwahati railway station following a clash between local students and hostellers the previous night. From there they left for their homes and later reached New Delhi to carry stage their protest.
Shouting slogans and carrying posters, the students were demanding for their safe return to continue their studies. “We want to read. We do not want to die” said one of the posters.
“We only wanted a peaceful atmosphere in the NIT campus and our hostels so that we can resume our studies,” one student said. Even this much just demand has not been heeded by the higher ups, he added.
Security assured
However, to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the NIT hostels in the state, police will augment security by also deploying private security personnel.
When contacted, a police source said, “We did a review of the hostel’s security. NIT will be deploying additional guards and we will also be posting our personnel.”
With the students agitating at Jantar Mantar over the alleged disorder in the hostel, the police acted promptly after they were informed of the NIT Lapalang campus incident and the bus incident in Mawlai.
An official source with the NIT told The Shillong Times, “We are in close touch with the state administration and it has assured total security across all hostels. The parents of the students are also in close coordination with the institute’s authorities.”
Asked about allegations of outsiders entering the hostel at Lapalang, the source said the information was received from the students but maintained that it was up to the state administration to look into the matter.
“We are working in close cooperation with the state administration to see that no such incident is repeated in the future,” he said.
When asked, the NIT source said the brawl involving the students are two separate incidents- one is FCI, Mawlai (after the cultural programme held at NIT campus, Laitumkhrah) and the other is the Lapalang hostel scuffle on Sunday. These incidents involved two separate groups of students.
Scuffle among students do occur but these are petty issues between students, however, the NIT source admitted, “But this time it was not petty.”
The source added that the academic session of the institute will resume on April 22 and resumption of classes has been notified.
