Students boycott classes after girl injured on college bus

The immediate trigger for the protest was an accident that injured one of the students, G Amudha (19), a resident of Urapakkam, a final-year lab technician student. On Saturday, Amudha boarded the college bus at Urapakkam and was seated on the corner seat in the last row. 

When the bus was going along the Vandalur-Kelambakkam road, the left rear tyre burst all of a sudden. In the impact, the floor board of the vehicle broke, and one of the sharp pieces slashed Amudha’s leg leading to bleeding injuries. 

Bus driver Karunakaran alerted the college officials about the accident and a vehicle from the college reached the site and took Amudha to a private specialty hospital in Kelambakkam. The police were reportedly not informed. 

The incident seems to have triggered a wave of anger among the students, who have already been raising a lot of complaints against the college administration. Even though the college administration has been collecting fines from students citing frivolous reasons, basic facilities like the college buses were maintained in poor condition, charged the students. They said the college did not even have a properly equipped lab. 

All this anger burst out on Monday morning when students who came to college boycotted their classes and staged a protest outside the college premises. Their demands included better buses, lab facilities and proper drinking water supply for the students. 

The agitating students dispersed only after the local police reached the spot and promised action. 

Meanwhile, the college management assured Amudha’s parents that the college would bear all the treatment expenses at the hospital. Following this, Amudha’s father Gangadharan chastised the protesting students, and told the police that the college was helpful and was taking care of his daughter. 

Police said that Amudha was recovering in the hospital. Kelambakkam police have registered a case under two sections of over-speeding and careless driving and booked the bus driver.