After relenting, express hope that their demands will be met
Things have started returning to normal at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) with more than 90 per cent of the agitating outstation students back to their classrooms.
NIT officials said 1,394 students had returned to the campus so far and were attending classes.
“Everything is normal on the campus. We are ensuring improvement in facilities. Students are attending classes and the situation is calm and peaceful. The students have grievances, but we are trying to make improvements every day,” said NIT Registrar Fayaz Ahmad Mir.
A final-year student from Jammu said most of the students had returned to their classes, but were still waiting for their demands to be met as none had been accepted so far.
“We are hopeful that they will meet our demands and are waiting for a response from the administration. Classes are going on as normal. Except a few, most of the students are attending classes,” said a student who did not wish to be named.
NIT officials said more than 1,400 students had left for home after the controversy began and just some students were yet to return.
“A total of 1,254 boys and 140 girls have returned. The Director and other senior officials of the institute often go to the hostel of outstation students to take stock of the situation and help improve the facilities as demanded by the students,” said a senior official.
The official said the minor 1 examinations of the students would start on May 5. A controversy erupted at the NIT on March 31 after some students “celebrating” India’s defeat in the World T20 semifinal allegedly threw stones on the hostel of outstation students.
Outstation students had boycotted classes for 10 days and stayed away from examinations, demanding action against the college administration and police for using excessive force on them.
Most of the students had then gone home. Most of them had now returned. As outstation students had rejected any inside probe committee or a state probe, the college management had now set up a new fact-finding committee comprising two outsider members to enquire into the incident that led to unrest at the institute.
The fact-finding team was scheduled to submit its report by May 15.
