By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: First time in the brief history of Maulana Azad National Urdu University hundreds of students protested against the university administration regarding their long pending grievances.
More than 600 students of MANUU organized a massive demonstration yesterday in the university campus and boycotted the classes. Students locked the main gate for nearly two hours in the afternoon. Hundreds of protestors assembled at administrative building and started raising slogans against the university officials, urging vice-chancellor Mohammed Miyan to look into their complaints.
Students were seeking immediate resolutions for their long pending grievances regarding hostel accommodation facilities, Mess and medical care related issues. The main demand of the students was to provide them a platform to air their grievances; they were demanding to allow formation of a student’s union in the university campus.
Students of Urdu university are of the opinion that if an independent student union is to be formed they can directly raise the concerns with the university officials and the active teacher’s union of the university. Students questioned the logic behind having a vigorous teacher’s union while decision for formation of student union is put in a cold storage. They alleged provision for the establishment of student’s union is provided under university law, but the formation of its constitution is being delayed for past four years.
Observing the demonstration is getting critical, vice-chancellor Mohammed Miyan tried to pacify agitated students by giving assurance that a decision will be taken in a month period on their long pending demand of allowing a student union, association or a form in the university. Students then immediately called off their agitation for a period of one month, but threaten to intensify it, if any concrete decision on the representation of student’s issues is not taken in the one month time.
This spontaneous agitation by students in the Urdu university campus came as big boost for MANUU action committee consisting of different social and political organizations which are organizing series of protest against the MANUU administration especially against its VC against alleged wrongdoings in the management. They termed students protest in MANUU as a vindication of their stand that irregularities are going on in the country’s first and only Urdu University.