Jaffna undergrads suspend protest campaign

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 January 2003, 19:04 GMT]
Jaffna university students Thursday suspended their campaign of boycotting classes that began Monday to protest the publication of a letter carried by the Uthayan, a leading regional Tamil daily, alleging that senior students were involved in ragging freshers.

The Students Union met Thursday and took a decision to suspend the campaign in the interest of students sitting for university examinations, sources said. But at a meeting of students from all faculties held today at the Kailasapathy Hall, the union made several resolutions, which would be forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor, deans, academic and non-academic staff, and the Tamil Eelam Students Federation.

One of the conditions is not to allow copies of the Uthayan newspaper being taken into the university premises. Another condition is the removal of a leading figure closely associated with Uthayan from the University Senate, sources said.

Jaffna university students began their boycott campaign Monday demanding that the university management should take stern action against Uthayan, which had published that letter, addressed to the editor. Students' union said no ragging had taken place in the university premises as published in the Uthayan.