MP stopped on way to meet fasting IIIT-Basara students

ADILABAD: Around 3,000 E1 & E2 students of the IIIT-Basara Engineering College have launched a hunger strike in the dining hall demanding action against the mess contractor. The students also demand the implementation of the assurances given by the government to call off their protest last month.

The students began their protest on Saturday night, skipping dinner and had not eaten anything till Sunday evening. They are demanding the removal of the caterers for serving poor quality food that is causing food poisoning and other health problems.

Adilabad BJP MP Soyam Bapu Rao, who set off for the IIIT-Basara to meet the students was taken into custody by the police at Manmad in Lokeshwaram mandal and later released. He said that he had submitted a memorandum to the Union Education Minister on the IIIT-Basara issue.

The MP objected to the police obstructing his movements in his own Parliamentary constituency and said that the State was behaving in an autocratic manner. “The government didn’t take any measures to resolve the issue being faced by the students. The Education Minister described them as “silly reasons” and then, after assuring all the problems of the students would be resolved, failed to keep her words,” Bapu Rao said, demanding the resignation of Sabitha Indra Reddy.

He also alleged that the mess contractor was a relative of TRS MLC K Kavitha. “That’s why the Chief Minister is not removing the contractor nor providing quality food. The government is also not allowing opposition leaders in the campus,” the BJP MP said.

Meanwhile, IIIT-Basara authorities released a tender notification for the mess contractors to provide food to 8,684 students. The last date for submitting bids is August 6.