The Agricultural College at Bapatla simmered with tension after Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University issued an indefinite closure notice on Friday morning, sparking protests by students.
Associate Dean P.R.K. Prasad said the decision to close the campus was taken in view of the prevailing situation and students preventing committee members probing a PG student’s suicide from leaving the campus.
M.Sc student M. Surya Rao’s death on September 26 had evoked outrage among students who had alleged foul play.
Alleging that Rao was forced to take the extreme step owing to harassment by a professor, students had been boycotting classes since September 28. “Rao was an intelligent student who topped his class.
“But, he was unable to take the abuse and humiliation by his professor. Some seed he had planted did not germinate, and the professor singled him out and abused him, forcing him to take his own life,” said a student who did not want to be named.
Meanwhile, the university’s decision to close the campus left several students in the lurch, including around 60 scholars of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) who had come from other States.
“I have come from Tamil Nadu, and we have now been served notice that the college and the hostel will remain closed indefinitely. My course has already been delayed by three months owing to administrative lapses, and now this strike will further delay my studies,” said a student of ICAR.
More than 900 students stay on the campus.
Incidentally, some girl students complained that professors had been harassing them.