Tense moments prevailed at the BJB Autonomous College campus here on Wednesday evening when a student attempted self-immolation after the authorities cancelled this year’s Students’ Union elections and closed the college sine die citing repeated pre-poll violence in the campus.
Soon after the college authorities cancelled the elections, Soubhagya Ranjan Sahoo, who was supposed to contest the October 5 election as an Independent candidate, along with his supporters tried to immolate self by pouring kerosene. However, Badagada police officials rescued Sahoo.
Till Wednesday late night, aspirant students and their supporters blocked the Bhubaneswar-Puri National Highway in front of the college by burning tyres protesting the decision.
Meanwhile, two platoons of police forces were deployed in the campus and students were asked to vacate hostels within 24 hours.
The election cancelation and sine die decision was taken in an emergency Staff Council meeting chaired by Principal Prof Mohammed Nawaz Hasan in wake of pre-poll violence in the campus and students’ unrest for the last two months.
The campus was handed over to the Khordha district administration.
On Monday afternoon, two bike-borne youths had hurled a crude bomb near the basketball court in Science block of the college and the last week, students of the college had locked Arts block and the main gate demanding arrest of outsiders who had entered the campus and assaulted a group of students in August third week.
Earlier in the day, Students’ Union elections were called off in two other city-based colleges, College of Basis Sciences and Humanities of OUAT and City Women’s College, due to pre-poll violence.
However, the sine die in Capital law College was lifted on Wednesday evening. The college administration has formally issued notice regarding holding of elections this year after students sat in dharna.