Students, Police clash opposite UGC injure 28

Chaminda PERERA

Over 28 persons were admitted to the National Hospital following a clash between the Police and University students opposite the University Grant Commission yesterday.

The clash erupted after the members of the Inter University Students Union broke open the gates of University Grant Commission and entered the Higher Education Ministry premises despite stiff resistance by the Police.

Seventeen Police officers and 10 university students were injured in the clash and were admitted to the Colombo National Hospital yesterday.

A staffer of the Colombo National Hospital who alighted from a bus for night duty was also caught up in the clash and is receiving treatment at the Hospital.

These students started the protest demanding the release of students of the Peradeniya and Rajarata universities who had been arrested over charges of ragging.

They also demanded that the Government should stop the establishment of private universities in the country.

According to a Higher Education Ministry spokesman, the students spent more than two hours in the Ministry premises until they were chased away by the Police officers using tear gas.

He said Higher Education Minister was not in the office when they entered the Ministry.

He said that Ministry properties may have been damaged by the students.

Inter University Student Union Convenor Udul Premaratne told the Daily News that Police dispersed their peaceful protest opposite the University Grant Commission.

He said Police started driving them away from the Ministry premises when they were about to burn the effigy of Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake.

He said the students were chased by the Police until they got into their buses that were parked near Viharamahadevi park. Meanwhile, Police Spokesman S P Prishantha Jayakody told the Daily News that he was not aware of the number of students arrested by Police as the inquiry into the incident was going on.

Heavy traffic congestion occurred in the area adjacent to Lipton Circle, Viharamahadevi park and Ward place due to this protest.

Some students entered Viharamadevi park after the Police used water canons to disperse the agitators who came from almost all the universities in the country.

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Peradeniya Engineering Faculty closed

Samanthi WEERASEKARA

The Engineering Faculty of the Peradeniya University has been closed indefinitely by the Vice Chancellor Sarath Abeykoon.

The Vice Chancellor had taken this decision because students attached to the Faculty had created tension within the campus following the remanding of four undergraduates including two of their colleagues involved in the alleged obstruction case during Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake’s visit to the campus recently.

Following the indefinite closure of the faculty its Dean Prof. S B Weerakoon has notified all engineering students to vacate their halls of residence with immediate effect.

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