Protest staged outside Central University campus seeking probe into death of student

Members of Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane, Students Federation of India, Democratic Youths Federation of India and Dalit Hakkugala Horata Samiti staged a protest outside the Central University of Karnataka in Kadaganchi village near Kalaburagi on Wednesday demanding a thorough probe into the death of a 20-year-old B.Sc second year student from Odisha, Jayashree Nayak, who was found dead in her hostel room on the university campus on July 30.

Speaking on institutional harassment and demanding accountability, activist K. Neela claimed that Jayashree’s death was under suspicious circumstances.

The Central University authorities failed to take any action against culprits when a student made a suicide attempt in the past, the agitators said and demanded a thorough probe into Jayashree’s death and also similar incidents in the past.

Accusing Vice-Chancellor Battu Satyanarayana of not allowing incidents of sexual harassment against students on campus to come to light, Ms. Neela said that Prof. Satyanarayana is working as an RSS and Bajrang Dal functionary.

DYFI State president Lavitra Vastrad said that independent thinking and free expression in the university is under threat. An atmosphere of fear in universities is a threat to democracy, she added.

Another activist Meenakshi Bali said that teachers are indeed held in high regard due to their vital role in shaping individuals and society, but the act of sexual harassment by these very teachers against young female students has a deleterious effect on their psyche.

Meanwhile, the protestors, who gathered at the main gate of the university, tried to open the gate and barge into the campus, leading to a scuffle between them and police personnel.

The agitators demanded that the Vice-Chancellor personally receive their memorandum. However, Registrar R.R. Biradar received the memorandum and promised that the university will resolve all issues.