Continuing its protest against the illegal confinement of girl students of the Ramadevi Women’s University in the institute here during the visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Chhatra Congress on Wednesday gheraoed the residence of Higher Education Minister Pradeep Panigrahy demanding his resignation and an apology.
The activists of the students’ wing led by its president Itish Pradhan tried to enter the premise of the Minister’s Government quarters. However, police prevented the agitating students from doing so, as a result of which a scuffle erupted between the police and the protesters. “Girl students were confined in their own institute in the presence of the Higher Education Minister. But unfortunately, he neither expressed sorry nor gave a clarification on the unfortunate incident,” said Pradhan, threatening that the stir would be intensified.
The agitators demanded an apology from the Higher Education Minister along with Chief Minister and university authorities for the students’ “illegal” detention.
The Chhatra Congress activists also criticised BJD MlA Priyadarshi Mishra for referring to the detained university students as “human bombs”.