Student protests in the wake of a jaundice outbreak at Vellore Institute of Technology in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal turned violent late on Tuesday, with several vehicles set ablaze and property damaged, The Indian Express reported.
The protests had erupted in the university campus in Sehore district after around 24 students have fallen ill with symptoms of the disease in recent weeks, the newspaper quoted unidentified police officers as saying.
Several students alleged poor hygiene conditions and contaminated water in the hostels. They added that repeated complaints to university officials about the food and water quality were ignored.
“Many students also said they had to buy bottled mineral water due to unsafe drinking water at the campus,” The Indian Express quoted an unidentified student as saying. Others alleged “mistreatment by staff and guards whenever they raised these issues, including threats and physical assaults aimed at silencing them”.
On Tuesday, protests against the situation turned violent after faculty members allegedly assaulted students, prompting larger groups to gather across the campus, The Times of India reported.
By midnight, students allegedly set several vehicles on fire, the newspaper quoted unidentified sources as saying. They also damaged parts of the chancellor’s bungalow.
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT bhopal) में रात्रि को 2 बजे
हजारों छात्र सड़कों पर है सरकार तुरंत संज्ञान.. vit को बंद करें...
