Undergrads protest leads to postponement of VC election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 January 2003, 14:46 GMT]
The election of new Vice Chancellor (VC) to the Jaffna University was not held as scheduled Saturday when undergraduates prevented a member from attending the Senate meeting. The university authorities had to postpone the Senate meeting for January 29, sources in the University campus said.

The said member prevented from attending the Senate has been closely associated with a regional Tamil daily, Uthayan, in the peninsula, which recently published a letter from a reader alleging senior students had ragged freshers in the university. Jaffna Students Union protested to the management of the newspaper and to the university management stating the said letter alleging ragging was fictitious and false and demanded a denial. But the management of newspaper did not respond favourably, sources said.

Jaffna university students also demanded the immediate removal of the said member from the Senate, union sources said.

When the said member Saturday morning arrived at the university site to attend the Senate meeting undergraduates gathered at the entrance to the university and blocked his vehicle from entering the university premises.

The Vice Chancellor Professor S.Balasundarampillai and Professor K.Shanmugathas held talks with the students to sort out the matter amicably. But student leaders were adamant in their stand that they will not allow the said member to attend the Senate, sources said.

Later the said member left the campus premises and students also removed their blockade, sources said.