Undergrads’ attempt to march on Temple Trees wreaks havoc in Fort

Pandemonium reigned in the Pettah and Fort areas yesterday afternoon as the police riot squads used tear gas and water cannon to disperse a group of undergraduates who attempted to march on Temple Trees in protest against what they called the government’s failure to solve problems affecting universities.

The Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) march which commenced from the Kelaniya University, was stopped by the police at the Lotus Roundabout in Fort.

Hundreds of slogan shouting university students, including undergraduate monks participated in the march and blocked the main road to and from Colombo city disrupting traffic.

One lane of the Kandy road had to be closed due to the protest march yesterday.

IUSF Convener Najith Indika said that they had  launched the protest against the reduction of the duration of the Allied Health Sciences degree from four years to three, lack of accommodation for female undergraduates of the Kelaniya University, suppression of students in the Rajarata, Ruhuna and Sri Jayewardenepura universities.

“We wanted to hand over a statement to President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the protest march yesterday, but police blocked us at the Lotus Roundabout near the Hilton hotel,” he said.

Indika alleged that one of their undergraduates from the Ruhuna University had been assaulted by police intelligence officers near the Presidential Secretariat.

He said that the injured undergraduate was admitted to the National Hospital.

The Police Media division said it was not aware of such an incident.

By Dasun Edirisinghe
Source: The Islands (Sri Lanka)
Photo courtesy  The Islands (Sri Lanka)