CUH students continue protest, lock academic blocks

A day after the students of School of Engineering and Technology in Mahendergarh’s Central University of Haryana (CUH) went on indefinite strike in protest against alleged lack of infrastructure, they on Tuesday locked the academic blocks of the university forcing the suspension of the classes and the administrative work.

The students locked the front and rear entrances of academic blocks 3 and 4 housing the offices of the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar and the most of the departments.

“We sat in front of the two academic blocks to prevent the students, teachers and the non-teaching staff from entering inside. One of the academic block was, however, not blocked to allow the teachers to conduct a meeting on the matter,” a student said.

They are on strike alleging that even two years after the School of Engineering and Technology was established in 2016 offering Bachelor of Technology in four disciplines — Computer Science Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Printing & Packaging Technology it lacks bare minimum facilities such as laboratories, building and regular staff.

Professor Satish Kumar, the acting Vice-Chancellor, had a stormy meeting with the faculty in the afternoon to discuss the situation arising out of the strike with a couple of the teachers pressing for police action against the agitating students and condemning the administration for being soft on them.

Actions taken

Later, in the evening, after another round of meeting, the Proctorial Board, issued a notice saying that all necessary actions were already taken on the grievances and demands of the engineering students and they were directed to vacate the entrances of all administrative and academic blocks.

The notice threatened legal action against the agitating students in case of violation of the order.

Peaceful protest

A subsequent notice said that the students could hold peaceful protest at the temporary sports ground of the university.

“We have told the students that action is being taken on their demands, but I cannot commit a date since I am only an acting VC. We rejected the demand of a few faculty members for police action against the students as it not undemocratic to protest. But we have told the students to vacate the entrances of the administrative and academic blocks,” said Prof. Kumar.