ABVP activists protest over delay in scholarships to DSMNRU students
LUCKNOW: A day after the fourth convocation of Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University (DSMNRU), activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Sunday staged a demonstration on Vidhan Sabha marg to protest against delay in distribution of scholarship money meant for backward and dalit students of the university.
The protestors demanded that Om Prakash Rajbhar, UP minister for backward class welfare and empowerment of persons with disabilities, should intervene in the matter and pave way for easy disbursement of scholarship money.
The protestors burnt an effigy of the minister, followed by chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
“Development work on the campus has taken a backseat in the absence of a full-time vice chancellor. The present V-C Pravir Kumar, a senior bureaucrat is indifferent towards the plight of students,” said protesters.
“The administration has also not taken any action in the case of a girl who committed suicide in one of the hostels recently. The medical facilities provided by the university are also not up to mark,” they added.
When contacted, university spokesperson Devendra Singh said more than 75% students received their scholarship money.
“The remaining did not get it
THE PROTESTORS DEMANDED THAT OM PRAKASH RAJBHAR, UP MINISTER FOR BACKWARD CLASS WELFARE SHOULD INTERVENE IN THE MATTER
on time because they made certain mistakes while filling up the scholarship form, which was made available online for greater transparency,” he said.
During the convocation on Sunday, B Tech students staged protest outside when chief minister Yogi Adityanath and governor Ram Naik were presenting medals to meritorious students in the auditorium.
They demanded that the B Tech self-finance course be converted into a regular course. Many protesters even tried entering the auditorium, but were prevented by the cops from doing so.
The rehab university established by the Divyangjan Sashaktikaran Vibhag of the state government is one of the premier institutes in India, which aims to provide accessible and quality education to differently-abled students in a barrier-free environment.
Almost 50% of the students in DSMNRU are differently-abled.