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Student's death ignites Ranga University campus

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Tension prevailed on the Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University campus at Rajendranagar, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, for the second consecutive day today following a student's death owing to the alleged negligence of the university authorities.

Agitated students boycotted classes protesting against the "callousness" of the university in failing to save the life of their colleague late on Sunday night and demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Dr I V Subba Rao.

At about 1500 IST, scores of students, including girls, took out a procession to the administrative block on the campus, amidst heavy police protection, after talks between the student leaders and the vice-chancellor and other officials remained "deadlocked".

University Students Forum president B Vidyadhar told rediff.com after the talks that the 'university bandh' being spearheaded by the students would continue till their demands were conceded.

Vidyadhar said the students' representatives were incensed by the vice-chancellor's "unwillingness" to accede to their demand for payment of an ex-gratia of Rs 500,000 to the family of B Sudhakar, suspension of all the officials responsible for his death, and the resignation of the vice-chancellor himself.

Rangareddy district's additional superintendent of police, B Balakrishna, told rediff.com that the situation remained peaceful today after the "violent incidents" of the previous day.

Narrating the sequence of events on the fateful Sunday night, joint secretary of the students forum, K Vijay Kumar, said the 23-year-old Sudhakar, a post-graduate student doing his MSc final, complained of chest pain at about 2330 IST at the post-graduate hostel.

"Sudhakar felt some problem in his left hand and later complained of chest pain. We immediately took him to the primary health centre on the campus. No doctor was available there. One of the two ambulances was not in working condition and the other had no fuel. So Sudhakar was taken on a scooter to a private nursing home, about 2.5km from the campus. The doctors there diagnosed that he had suffered a heart attack," recalled Vijay Kumar.

"Sudhakar suffered a second attack there. There was no ambulance available at the nursing home when the doctors suggested that he be taken to Care Hospital in the city. We tried in vain for a university car to shift him. He died on the way to Care Hospital while being taken on a scooter. He could not withstand the wintry cold and the cardiac attack. But he would have survived had medical aid been rendered in time," said Vijay Kumar.

The students later brought Sudhakar's body to the university campus in the wee hours. Some students arranged for a private ambulance and took the body to his native village Dammera near Kodad in neighbouring Nalgonda district, about 175 km from Hyderabad.

As news of the student's death because of lack of proper medical care spread, boarders and day scholars gathered on the campus from 0600 onwards on Monday. "We organised a protest on the campus and squatted near the auditorium complex since morning. But the vice-chancellor came to the spot only around 1.30pm. When we confronted him and demanded his resignation, he was unrelenting. We gheraoed [encircled] him and insisted that he concede our demands," said Vijay Kumar.

The university authorities then called in the police who took up positions at the place where the students had encircled the vice-chancellor. "We were agitating peacefully. But we lost our patience at the vice-chancellor's attitude. When we did not allow him to leave, the police lathi-charged us," said another student.

ASP Balakrishna, recounting the incident, said, "Nobody wanted to resort to a lathi-charge. We acted with restraint as long as the agitation was peaceful. When the V-C came, the students made some demands. When the V-C was about to go, somebody pelted stones. They tried to gherao him and broke the windowpanes of his car. We pushed them around and escorted the V-C out."

The students then went on the rampage, damaging five buses and five jeeps belonging to the university. They also damaged two ambulances, smashed the glass panes of the auditorium, the administrative building, the university canteen and the primary health centre.

They also boycotted classes not only on the university campus at Rajendranagar but also at the university colleges at other places in the state and organised demonstrations at other places, demanding the vice-chancellor's resignation.

On Tuesday too, tension prevailed on the campus with the students continuing their agitation demanding that the university authorities concede their demands and make amends for Sudhakar's death.

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