Clash breaks between students in front of Assam University Silchar main gate; Situation volatile 

The strike in Assam University enters its ninth day today. While on one side there were members of the Students Union and Research Scholar Forum agitating in front of the main gate, on the other hand, 20 odd students started marching towards the University premises stating they want to attend their lectures.

“Few of those students came out of the University Hostel while others joined them from the Irongmara area. They went to the main gate and said they want to attend the lectures as they pay their fees to study and not do drama outside the gate bunking their classes. The Students’ Union and Research Scholar Forum members got irked and there was a confrontation between the two groups which turned into a brawl. Few students got hurt is what we got to know,” informed a source close to the development.

One of the students who wanted to attend the classes said, “This is drama going on here in front of the main gate of a Central University. The administration rusticated a student for his alleged misbehavior, that student is nowhere in the picture and others are losing their sleep, missing their classes and falling sick out of hunger. We pay fees to attend classes and shape our professional careers and not create a nuisance to get noticed.”

The student added, “If the rustication was unfair, let us reach out to the judiciary and ask for its intervention, why bring an entire University which is run by taxpayers’ money to a halt. The authority will get their salaries, the teachers will get their salaries by doing nothing and we the students will be the losers, the convocation got postponed, the Social Week is not even being discussed, what are we getting from this strike? Our demand is to keep this save Milon Das fight away from being an obstacle to academics and students’ welfare.”

Another student present in the spot said she is feeling scared. “I appeal to the Superintendent of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Cachar to immediately intervene or else this brawl will turn fatal. The agitating students are hungry, angry and sleep-deprived, most of them are out of patience and on the other hand, there are few more who want to use the occasion and become heroes overnight,” she said.

It remains to be seen if the Police officials or the University Authority intervene and how soon.