IIIT Basara issue: Tension at edu minister's residence

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy's residence in the city on Sunday following a flash protest by parents of students studying in the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Basara.

According to parents, they have come under the aegis of the Basara IIIT Parents Association to submit a representation to the minister as their wards were sitting in protest for the past 24 hours without even taking food.

Referring to the recent incident of suspected food poisoning, they said, "We have sent our wards for studies but not to see them die." They said the minister had recently promised to resolve all the outstanding issues faced by the students in 45-days. But, already sixty days are over, and the minister has failed to resolve the issues.

Basara IIIT Parents Association president Rajeswari said that they had come to meet the minister and submit a memorandum seeking a solution to the problems being faced by the students. The police blocked the road and told them that the minister was not at home. The parents then sat on the road and said that they would wait till she comes and takes their representation. But the police removed them forcibly and shifted them to different police stations, the parents alleged.

Meanwhile, IIIT Basara Vice-Chancellor Prof V Venkata Ramana warned that show-cause notices would be slapped on the students who are on protest in the two hostel messes for the past 24 hours.

Referring to the Vice-Chancellor's threat, the parents said: "Show-cause notices should be issued to minister not the students." The IIIT authorities say that they cannot take any action against the mess contractor as the reports on whether it was food poisoning or not was yet to be received. They claim that they are guided by rule of natural justice and rule of contract. The contract with the mess would end in September, officials said.