Chennai: Twenty students of Presidency College on Kamarajar Salai here were injured in a lathicharge after their protests demanding college union elections turned violent on Monday.
They damaged an MTC bus and a police vehicle apart from allegedly assaulting police personnel. Around 300 students from under graduate and post graduate courses thronged the thoroughfare and staged a protest raising slogans against the college management.
“We have been demanding democratically held elections in the college since August. All these days, we did silent protests within the college campus,” a protesting student said requesting anonymity.
Learning that the students were to stage a massive protest within the campus, the college declared a holiday on Monday and the gates were shut after which the students took to the streets. Raising placards, which read, “If actors can hold elections, why not students?” the students went on a march on Kamarajar Salai affecting traffic.
Efforts by the regional Joint director of collegiate education to pacify the protesting students proved futile. “Instead of a democratically held election, they suggested to hold a representative election. In that case, the college management will select a student leader who will go soft on issues faced by students,” the students said.
The protests soon turned violent after students stoned an MTC bus and a police patrol vehicle damaging them. Police retaliated by lathicharging the students in which, according to students as many as 20 of them suffered injuries and were treated at Government Stanley Hospital.
“We had to use minimum required force to control the situation,” Triplicane Assistant commissioner M. Peer Mohammed said adding that a traffic policeman and the MTC driver were injured in the students action.
According to a senior police officer, “Two post graduate students were arrested. A few others are likely to be arrested.” Police have booked the students under several sections of IPC including section 353 of IPC (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and section 3 of Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.
