Bihar: Stalemate continues at RPCAU, students threaten to go on indefinite strike

The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses in agriculture, agriculture management and rural development, biotechnology, horticulture, fishery and animal husbandry. The RPCAU is a residential university with over 2,000 students across three campuses.

Meanwhile, several students have expressed apprehension that the academic calendar will suffer owing to the decision of the university to suspend classes. They, however, justified their demands for having better services at the university hospital, claiming that the student, Akhil Sahu from Rajasthan, died owing to the lack of oxygen facility at the hospital.

The RPCAU Students Federation also staged a dharna outside the university campus Sunday.

Students’ federation head Harsh Dwivedi said: “We want an independent probe into the death of Akhil Sahu and the probe should be monitored by a judicial officer. The FIR against students and the order to vacate hostels should be withdrawn immediately. Academic activities must resume and the university should take stern action against officials who misbehaved with girl students.” The students’ body threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday if their demands were not met.

RPCAU registrar PP Srivastava had released a written order on 22 May stating: “In view of vandalism done by the students in hospital premises and VC’s residence, it is not possible to run the university… Thus, the competent authority has decided to declare the university close sine die and all the teaching activities will remain suspended till further orders. This will be applicable to all the three campuses: Pusa, Dholi and Piprakothi. The students are directed to vacate the hostel by 12 noon of 22nd May, 2022, failing which rooms will be locked…”

The registrar told indianexpress.com: “We have no information of any protests as most of them (students) have left for their homes. Second, the allegation of medical negligence is incorrect as we had five oxygen cylinders. It was a case of profuse bleeding and had to be referred.”

Asked about students being concerned about the delay in completion of courses, the registrar said: “They should have thought about it before resorting to violence. They broke through the university gate and my car was torched. Our lives were threatened and we had to vacate hostels and suspend all academic activities.”

Meanwhile, in a complaint letter to Pusa police station, father of the deceased student and Rajasthan resident Suresh Kumar Sahu has alleged that his son was not given the requisite medical attention at the university hospital and it “did not have oxygen support”.

When approached, Samastipur superintendent of police Hriday Kant said: “We would like to first thoroughly probe the case and hear all sides. There are four FIRs in the matter including one filed by the father of the student who died in a road accident. As the university is closed, we are not able to talk to students.” The SP added that they want to know why students turned violent against their own university administration.