Ranchi, October 12 (Daily Kiran) : Students at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Ranchi are continuing their protests following the suspicious death of first-year student Aditya. The unrest, which began after Aditya’s death, saw students holding a sit-in overnight and taking to the streets again on Monday.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Director Rajeev Srivastava, improvements to hostel facilities, and better emergency medical services. They have effectively paralyzed access to the administrative building and surrounding roads.
Accusations of severe administrative negligence have been directed at the institution’s management. Students claim that during the emergency, the ambulance lacked oxygen cylinders, which contributed to Aditya’s death en route to the hospital. Additionally, a power outage left the lift inoperable, and the caretaker in the hostel refused to assist the student. The situation was exacerbated by the absence of qualified medical personnel, forcing second-year students to drive their classmate to the hospital themselves.
Protesters have raised several serious points in support of their demand for the director’s resignation. They noted that despite the tragedy, the director arrived at the scene 14 hours later. Furthermore, students have reported threats of disciplinary action from faculty against those who speak out.
The students expressed frustration over excessive academic pressure, the absence of mental health counselors, a lack of first aid supplies, and mismanagement in the canteen and security. In response to the escalating situation, the chairman of the institute visited the protest site to engage with students. He suggested a meeting with faculty to discuss solutions, which the students firmly rejected.
Students are insisting on presenting their demands directly to the director and remain steadfast in their call for his resignation. The chairman has promised to summon the director for discussions in light of the students’ insistence.
Meanwhile, police and administrative teams are on-site, continuing their investigation. The deceased student, Aditya, was from Nawgachhia in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district. Protesters have warned that if the director does not resign and their demands are not met by the end of Monday, they will block the Sports Village intersection, disrupting traffic throughout the city. Tensions remain high on campus.
Leave a Comment