Students protest, boycott classes after Bangalore University finance officer files complaint against them

In continuation with the Bangalore University fiasco that occurred on May 27, students went on strike on Monday, May 30, against a complaint filed against them. Students, teachers and syndicate members laid siege to the university's finance block on Friday, saying that the VC had tried to illegally approve funds for development works. 

Following the siege and shutting down of the block, Bangalore University's finance officer R Jayalakshmi had filed a complaint with the police against some students. In response, students protested at the university, demanding that the complaint be withdrawn. In addition, the students had visited Jnana Bharathi Police Station where the complaint was filed, to file mass counter complaints.

For over a week, issues had been raised after syndicate members and several university associations alleged that VC KR Venugopal was trying to get the university’s finance officer to release university funds worth Rs 49 crores for development works for University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE). Things had come to a head on Friday, after the associations and syndicate members laid siege to the university’s finance block, stating that those involved had tried to ready bills and cheques to disperse the money after office hours on Thursday.

Students took out a protest rally on Monday, demanding the withdrawal of the complaint filed against them. They had also boycotted classes and said that this would continue until the complaint was withdrawn as well as the fund dispersal issue was settled.