Kirtipur, August 1:

Irate students of the Tribhuvan University (TU) Central Campus today locked out offices of the principal and hostel warden for an indefinite period, demanding their resignation. They have also demanded that the university clarify as to who ordered the eviction of the Kanti Girls’ Hostel using police force yesterday. The agitating students today closed down the Central Campus, as a protest against the arrest of their comrades while protesting the forceful eviction of students from the hostel. Pranay Singh ‘Munna’, president of the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU), said the TU principal and warden should take responsibility for the incident, as they allowed the police into the hostel. The police yesterday arrested two NSU leaders — Jivalal Kharel and Jeet Jung Basnet. Around 30 students were injured in a clash with police personel. The university administration and the Free Students’ Union (FSU) evacuated the Kanti Hostel, where more than 300 students had been living, using police force yesterday. “If the FSU is really concerned over fairness, they should vacate 10 rooms they have occupied,” alleged Singh.

The university administration said it would try to solve the problem through dialogue at the earliest. The conflict arose after the FSU did not consult both factions of the NSU, affiliated

to the NC and the NC-D, while preparing the new list of hostel students. The NSU said the new list is biased, as it has excluded the students who had been staying in the hostel for the past one year. “The students once admitted in the hostel can stay for another year automatically as a rule, but the FSU has tried to admit new students by replacing them,” said Singh.