Irate students in Odisha capital lock college gate for two hours

Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, July 28:

Irate students staying in Dr B R Ambedkar hostel of BJB Autonomous College in the Odisha capital today locked the college main gate for two hours demanding compensation for the guard-cum-sweeper of the hostel, who died in a road accident on July 25.

The students demonstrated in front of the college gate and did not allow any students to enter inside the college campus to attend their classes.

The deceased was identified as Kailash Chandra Nayak (35) of Phulbani, who was engaged as a class-IV grade worker by the college authority a year ago.

Pupinder Singh, college hostel secretary said Kailash, a good and hard working man, was hit from behind by a two-wheeler, driven by three youths (outsiders), in front of the hostel on July 25 evening. On being informed, a PCR van reached the spot and took the victim with a serious head injury to the Capital Hospital here. After Kailash’s health deteriorated, he was shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack the same night for better medical treatment.

“On the day of incident, we the hostel students had lodged a complaint at the Badagada police station here requesting them to trace the two-wheeler. We had even given them the registration number of the vehicle, but police still failed to nab the culprits who hit Kailash,” Singh said.

This morning Kailash, who underwent a neurological surgery, succumbed to his injuries at the SCB Medical and hospital. “To bring his body from Cuttack and conduct his last rites here, we asked the college authorities to contribute some money, but failed to get any response from them. So we staged a demonstration in front of the college gate for two hours,” he said.

The agitation ended after an intervention by the zonal ACP Nirmal Satpathy, who assured the students to nab the culprits soon as well as help in providing compensation to the deceased family after discussing with the college authorities.

Meanwhile, the college principal Prof Nawaj Hussain has handed over Rs 20,000 to Kailash’s family member to conduct the last rites of the deceased.

Singh further said; “We have submitted a letter to the College principal requesting him to take steps to restrict outsiders from visiting the hostels and provide a job to kin of the deceased.”