Student unions lock campus chiefs’ offices

Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 19:

The seven student unions today locked out the offices of the campus chiefs of all the campuses under TU and MSU throughout the nation to protest the arrest of student leaders during the anti-regression movement and the government bid to sue them for fake charges.

The student bodies had earlier served an ultimatum of 10 am today to release the arrested students and cancel charges against them or face the student protest including an educational strike from April 23. The students have already locked out the TU offices yesterday. Though the students’ demands are concerned with the government, TU was still trying to hold talks with the government, TU officials said. TU has 61 constituent campuses and MSU has 22.

Meanwhile, the protesting students today set fire on one government-owned vehicle at Putalisadak and a motorcycle at New Road. The students also vandalised a government vehicle at Minbhawan early in the morning. The students took out the rally against regression in the evening from Putalisadak. Bhanu Acharya, FSU secretary of Kathmandu Education Campus, Rama Neupane and Kiran Poudel, FSU secretary of Amrit Science Campus were badly injured after the demonstrating students clashed with the police. Thakur Gairey, ANNFSU secretary, said that all the colleges will remain closed till their demands were met. The students have burnt rubber tyres and imposed an hour-long chakkajam in front of most of the Valley campuses. The students took out torch rallies from various parts of the valley. they have taken out torch rallies from Grahmin Adarsha, Minbhawan, Baneswor, Pashupati and Koteshwor campuses. The students have planned to burn the effigies of regression in front of all the campuses tomorrow.