Student unions take to streets against suicides

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, FEB. 12. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has demanded an enquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the suicides of students in some private residential colleges in the State and permission granted for these colleges be revoked by the Government.

The student organisation also wanted a probe into the functioning of the Board of Intermediate for allowing admission of excess students than the prescribed strength which went against Government regulations and directions given by the High Court last year.

Talking to presspersons here on Monday, ABVP leaders, Messrs K. Venkateswarlu, national executive member, M. Srinivas and G. Lakshman, secretaries, held private residential college managements like the Chaitanya educational institution responsible for the deaths of the students.

``The extreme acts by the stressed students have been happening quite regularly. In their maddening competitive quest to get more ranks in the EAMCET and other examinations, the managements are putting the youngsters under tremendous pressure which in turn is leading to suicides,'' they alleged.

The ABVP charged that there was no official sanction for `corporate colleges' to run on residential lines and they were flouting every rule by taking in excess students. Last year, the High Court had directed the Intermediate Board not to allow more students than the prescribed strength but this year as many as 70,000 students in excess were being allowed to write.

The ministerial committee appointed would not serve any purpose and only a judicial probe would unravel the truth behind the ``arbitrary functioning ''of the private residential colleges, they felt. They ridiculed the demand for a CB-CID enquiry made by some of private college managements.

The hunger-strike by the ABVP State Secretary, Mr. K. Sudhakar, seeking a judicial probe entered the third day today. The ABVP would intensify the agitation, they added.

Our Special Correspondent adds:

Several student bodies organised began hunger strikes, dharnas and boycott of classes on Monday demanding a judicial enquiry into the suicide deaths.

NSUI activists led by their State president, Mr. Ponnam Prabhakar, staged a dharna and a rasta roko near the office of the Board of Intermediate Education this morning demanding immediate action in the matter. Criticising the Government's education policy and the functioning of the Intermediate Board, the NSUI wanted withdrawal of recognition to all colleges where students had committed suicides.

The Bharatiya Janata Mahila Morcha (BJMM) State president, Mrs. V. Jhansi Rani, in a letter to the Chief Minister, demanded an enquiry by a sitting Judge of the High Court. She said it was a matter of serious concern that at least 10 students of `corporate colleges' had committed suicide in the recent past.

The City Committee of the SFI submitted a memorandum to Intermediate Board officials demanding a judicial probe. The SFI said 18 students had committed suicide during the current academic year alone.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Godman accused in woman's murder case arrested
Next     : Collector told to order magisterial probe