Five students injured in struggle with cops at Pondicherry univ during protest over hostel facilities

CHENNAI: Tension prevailed at the Pondicherry University on Monday when five students, including two women, who were protesting demanding better living facilities in the campus hostel, were allegedly injured in a struggle with the police and security personnel, as reported by Daily Thanthi.

Further protests then broke out with members of various student organisations jumping into action and demanding justice for the injured students. They reportedly even burnt an effigy of the police superintendent.

Several students stay in the campus hostel at the central university located in Kalapet, Puducherry. Over the past few days, the students have registered complaints about the unfavourable living conditions at the hostel including poor water supply, and appealed to the registrar and hostel warden to improve the facilities.

However, their complaints fell on deaf ears and when as a final nail in the coffin, the sanitary pad vending machine in the girls' hostel stopped functioning, the infuriated female students along with their male counterparts staged a protest on Tuesday.

When over 100 students raised slogans against the university management and attempted to lay siege to the hostel warden's office, a team of police led by SP Murugaiyan were called in to control the situation.

With cops and private security personnel working in the university premises storming into the scene, a scuffle broke out between them and the protesting students, resulting in five students including two women, who sustained injuries to their face, neck, and shoulder.

The injured students were immediately rushed to the Puducherry government hospital for treatment on Monday night.

Following the turn of events, several people from various student organisations condemned the alleged attack on the students and entered the protest. Tension further eacalated when the memberss of the student unions raised slogans against the cops, the university management, and also reportedly burnt the effigy of the police superintendent.

Meanwhile, students have given a petition to the registrar to initiate action against the cops and private security personnel who allegedly assaulted the students, as per the Daily Thanthi report.