IIIT-Basar students combine studies with protest as impasse enters fifth day

ADILABAD: As the agitation at IIIT-Basar entered its fifth day, students said they have come up with a unique model for protests, based on their class schedules.

On Saturday morning, students woke up and readied themselves as per their timetable and exited the hostel rooms en masse, carrying bags. But, instead of heading to the classrooms, they headed for the main gate and sat down as per their class groupings, combining studies with protest.

Many also carried umbrellas and wet towels to protect against the scorching sun, and continued their studies with the help of their seniors.

Students said that they are concerned over the impasse, as their academics might be affected if the situation continues to persist.

T. Shiva Murthy, a student of IIIT-Basar, a Komaram Bheem Asifabad native, said students are not wasting time during agitation, using their protest time as classroom and focusing on their studies while staging a sitting protest.

He, however, said that students will not buckle under police or college pressure and that they are grateful to leaders and politicos who have extended their support to them.

The protesters, besides undertaking daily work of doing their homework, exchanging notes and getting doubts clarified, also undertake creative works like painting, drawing and writing poetry to reach out to people to support their cause.

They said that their protests will continue to remain peaceful and “they will neither provoke nor get provoked”, as a placard stated.

Protesters have also been using social media effectively, by reaching out to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, among others. They also released a short video song titled Silly Guys to highlight their problems.