Date:31/12/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/31/stories/2002123101420500.htm

Southern States - Karnataka

Article 371: Stir takes a violent turn

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA Dec. 30. The agitation by the Hyderabad-Karnataka Vishesha Sthana Mana Horata Samiti seeking amendment to Article 371 for providing special reservation in education and jobs for people of backward regions, took a violent turn today with an irate mob of students smashing the glass panes at the Administrative Block of Gulbarga University.

Students on the main campus of the university, who boycotted classes in response to the call given by the samiti to hold a demonstration in front of the administrative block, gave vent to their ire when the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar of the university did not respond to their request to meet them to receive their memorandum.

The agitation was peaceful till a wordy duel erupted between police officials and the samiti representatives on the issue of submitting the memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor. While the students insisted that the Vice-Chancellor should receive the memorandum from them, the police said the memorandum could be submitted to them or any university official as the Vice-Chancellor was busy at the Syndicate meeting. It was then that the students tried to forcibly enter the administrative block. The glass panes were broken when the students tried to open the main door. As the situation looked like going out of control, the Vice-Chancellor, V.B.Coutinho, who was chairing the Syndicate meeting came out, pacified the agitators, and received the memorandum.

The samiti members urged the Vice-Chancellor that a resolution be passed at the Syndicate meeting urging the Union Government to amend Article 371. The samiti convener, Shoukat Ali Alur, criticised the "step-motherly" attitude of the Union Government towards the demand of the State Government for amending Article 371. He pointed out that in some States such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and those in the North-East there was reservation for people from the backward areas.

The boycott of classes by students was near-total. Students, who came in a procession to the administrative block, raised slogans against the Union Government and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K.Advani, for allegedly misleading the people of Hyderabad-Karnataka by giving an assurance that Article 371 would be amended and later going back on it.