University College students boycott classes

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 2, 2012: Several students of University College boycotted classes on Feb 2 Thursday because the college authorities did not grant them permission to organize the Jaago Bharat event and celebrate Vivekananda Jayathi as previously promised. 

The students say that the principal had readily agreed to permit the students to organize the Jago Bharat event and celebrate Vivekananda Jayanthi on Feb 6 when they first approached him, but changed his mind later. After meeting the college discipline committee, the principal announced that he can permit the students to celebrate Vivekananda Jayanthi, but not the Jaago Bharat event.

The student association accepted the decision and began preparing for the Vivekananda Jayanthi. They requested Chakravarthi Soolibele to be the resource person on the occasion. However, the principal again convened a meeting and said that he could not permit the Vivekananda Jayanthi celebration. Disappointed students say that they feel embarrassed to inform the resource person that he need not come as the program has been cancelled. 

The protesting students demanded that the college authorities should permit them to celebrate Vivekananda Jayanthi with Chakravarthi Soolibele as the resource person. They also demanded an explanation from the principal for creating this confusion and threatened that they will continue protesting indefinitely till their demands are met. 

Meanwhile, Principal Laxminarayana Bhat said that the students’ allegations are false and that he had never denied them permission to celebrate Vivekananda Jayanthi, but had only stated that they could not organize Jaago Bharat as he felt that it would lead to communal clashes in the college premises.