Ahead of Narendra Modi’s Amarkantak visit, trouble erupts at helipad location

BHOPAL: A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, trouble erupted at the location of one of the helipads he may use.
Students of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) – where a helipad has been built for the star-studded event — locked the administrative building on campus.
Sensing that the issue could escalate, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan personally went to meet the students and hear out their grievances. University PRO S S Sharma told TOI that the chief minister assured students that all the issues raised by them would be addressed. The CM promised to take up the issue with Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar on a priority basis, said sources.
The students, however, were not convinced and went on hunger strike late on Sunday. The administration later forced open the main gate.
The students allege that the degrees given by the university are not recognized. They say they were admitted to “integrated courses of BA-BEd and BSc-B Ed” three years ago. Last year, students got to know that their degree was not recognised by National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE). They have been running from pillar to post but to no avail.
Since August 2016, there have been relentless dharnas and protests on campus. On Saturday, students again started an indefinite strike and locked the gates of the administrative building. “We will not allow anyone to enter the campus till our demands are met. We do not want any more assurances,” they shouted.