We are all aware that protests by thousands of so-called ’aspirants’ of the Indian Armed Forces opposing the centre’s latest Agniveer scheme is among the hot topics discussed at length by media organisations. However, there is another burning issue that has prompted the students of IIIT Basara in Telangana to take to the streets in protest against the incumbent TRS government. Surprisingly, there is no widespread coverage of the issue since the mainstream media has deliberately neglected it, with just one or two short reports in the public domain.
Thousands of students at the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Basara are on strike for the third day in a row over issues linked to the administration of services in the institution, but they have gotten virtually minimal attention up to this point. Here are the details as to why these students are protesting against the state government of Telangana.
Protests at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technology also known as IIIT Basara
For the third day in a straight, hundreds of students at Telangana’s the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technology, widely known as IIIT Basara, are on strike, demanding decent meals, labs, and other academic facilities. They are criticising the poor food quality and requesting that other basic amenities, as well as the appointment of a permanent vice-chancellor, be addressed.
The students also requested that K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the Chief Minister, and K. T. Rama Rao, the Minister of Information Technology, come to RGUKT to witness the problems firsthand. Students have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of food offered at hostel meals. In many instances, they claimed to have spotted little insects and frogs in the hostel meals.
Students indicated that they are not being given the essential laptops and uniforms and that numerous hostels and college buildings are in disarray, without sufficient mattresses, fans, and other amenities. Hundreds of stressed-out students began boycotting classes and protesting on Tuesday, sitting on a protest at the administrative office and subsequently marching to the campus’ main gate.
The students issued a manifesto of 12 demands, including the recruitment of professors, the appointment of a full-time VC who can swiftly address their issues, the supply of internet, projectors, and other classroom equipment, and, most significantly, healthy meals.
Engineering and pre-engineering students have taken to the road due to the university’s dreadful status in every domain, from lectures to meals to other areas such as unclean housing and poor sports facilities. Despite apparent intimidation by authorities and police, students are asking that either Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao or his son, IT-Industries and Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao, visit their campus to put an end to their miseries.
The heightened police presence, according to a student leader, is intended to terrify students, but they will not back down until their concerns are addressed. Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the head of the Telangana BJP, has accused the administration of attempting to frighten the protesting students.
The Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technology
The RGUKT, or IIIT Basara, is one of three IIITs established in unified AP in 2008 during the YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime and is presently Telangana’s sole one. It lies in the Nirmal district of north Telangana, in Basara, a town known for the Goddess Saraswati temple on the banks of the Godavari. It houses around 8000 individuals. Meritorious children are accepted, with preference given to those who attend public schools.
