JU students going berserk
Outrageous is perhaps an understatement to describe the behaviour of some of the students of Jagannath University (JU) the day before yesterday. They were protesting the discontinuation of government funding of their institution, among other things. In the process they held up traffic for several hours and a large number of vehicles were vandalised. This is unacceptable and most contemptible even if they had a grievance to articulate. The situation was further aggravated by the action of the BCL cadres on the agitating students.
We wonder why protests must always take violent form, more so from a segment of the society from whom we expect sane behaviour. We wonder also whether the students realise the great inconvenience to the great number of people caught in the tailback that extended several kilometers. What was the fault of the stranded commuters and of those whose vehicles were senselessly vandalized?
Reportedly, there were about 3000 students that split into two groups for two different places. We fail to understand why the police did not get wind of what the students were up to. It takes time and effort to get so many people together. Why the reaction of the police had to wait till an MP's car got caught up in the melee, and why persuasion was not resorted to by the police before they went into action against the students?
When will we learn that civilised form of representation is a better way of conveying one's genuine problems? What the students of JU did will only help alienate people as they stand to lose the respect of the people.
However, the students have grievances that should be addressed immediately. Reportedly, they have been agitating on these issues, like enhanced tuition fees, university transport, and most of all freeing their halls of residence from illegal occupation, for the last two years, and we feel that if the authorities were mindful of the complaints of the students the situation might not have come to such a pass.
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