Students at Bangalore University have continued their agitation against the plying of vehicles on campus roads for the third day now. The protests began on Monday, October 1o after a first-year MSc student was run over by a BMTC bus on campus.
The students have been demanding that vehicles be banned within the campus and have claimed that the accident on Monday was one of many in the recent past. Ministers ST Somashekar and V Sommanna met the agitating students on the evening of October 11, Tuesday as protests raged on campus. The students were told that the state government will take care of the victim's treatment.
Importantly, the Ministers assured the students that the matter will be discussed with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai after he returns from his trip to Raichur. The ministers said that the CM will hold a meeting with the student union and the university authorities once he comes back to Bengaluru and assured them that a solution will be implemented.
Why vehicles on campus is an issue
Shilpa Shree R, a first-year student of MSc Mathematics of Bangalore University was severely injured as she fell while trying to alight the BMTC bus on Monday. Students have told EdexLive that after this incident, two other students — Tilak and Ramanujalu — were injured in other minor accidents that occurred due to traffic movement inside the campus. The accidents, they claim, are a result of unchecked vehicles plying on campus roads, endangering the lives of the students. Further, the maintenance of these roads has also been inconsistent.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had removed the speed bumps on the road prior to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the campus and even though a few of these were reinstated after requests from the students, they were not marked in white paint, making it difficult for them to be visible. Barricades that can help prevent accidents were also removed, the students claimed.
Hashing out a solution
Today, at 4.00 pm, the Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University will hold a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Law and Order, DCP Traffic, student union and the teachers' union in order to reach a suitable solution with regard to the issue, students informed EdexLive. This proposed solution will be presented to the CM for implementation, they added.
The students have also said that if the government fails to live up to its word, they will launch an indefinite protest
Injured student critical
The condition of the injured student, Shilpa, who is undergoing treatment at Fortis Hospital on Bannerghatta Road, is said to be critical. According to TNIE, she was given over 30 units of blood and has undergone multiple surgeries and doctors have termed the first 48 hours "crucial".
