CUO students protest, lock main gate over demands

Koraput: Tension prevailed at the Central University of Odisha (CUO), Sunabeda, on Friday after students locked the main gate, preventing staff members from entering. The students were protesting the non-fulfilment of their nine-point charter of demands.The agitation began around 10 am when a large number of students assembled at the main entrance and staged a demonstration. As part of their protest, they locked the gate and raised slogans demanding immediate action from the university authorities.The agitating students alleged that several long-pending issues have been affecting academic and campus life. Their demands include timely publication of examination results across various departments, resolution of persistent Wi-Fi connectivity problems, installation of smart boards in classrooms, and improvement in overall campus cleanliness and maintenance.Students are facing continuous inconvenience due to poor cleanliness and inadequate maintenance in multiple areas of the campus. “On several occasions, we have raised these issues, but they are yet to be sorted out,” said one of the protesting students.They said delays in the publication of results have caused anxiety among students, particularly those planning for higher studies and competitive examinations.The protest continued for several hours before being called off later in the day. The students withdrew their agitation after the university authorities reportedly assured them that the issues would be seriously looked into and necessary steps would be taken to resolve them at the earliest.Efforts to contact vice-chancellor (in-charge) NC Panda for comments went unanswered.