Loudspeakers installed by agitating students on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Aug. 17: Students of Patna University (PU) today staged dharnas on the varsity to express their support for Anna Hazare. Senior PU teacher N.K. Choudhary joined them. But they cared little for the inconvenience they caused to others or the rules of the university.

One of the protesting groups used loudspeakers to make themselves heard loud and clear. They, however, took no permission from the university administration, as they are required to according to the rules.

All India Students’ Federation (AISF) staged a dharna at the administrative office of the university. The speakers at the protest articulated themselves with the help of a loudspeaker.

Choudhary, too, addressed the protesters.

According to the rules of the university, taking consent of the university registrar before using loudspeakers on the campus is mandatory.

Sources said classes were thankfully not disrupted for the agitations. But employees of a number of university departments who work in the administrative offices had to bear with the noise.

“According to the rules and regulations of the university, teachers or students need to take prior permission from the varsity administration to use loudspeakers on the campus. But no permission was taken to use the loudspeakers today,” said a senior teacher of PU.

When The Telegraph contacted the newly appointed PU vice-chancellor, Sambhu Nath Singh, he claimed that no one told him about such a protest or the use of loudspeakers on the university campus. He said he had gone to attend a meeting of vice-chancellors convened by the state human resource development department.

Then, he added: “We live in a democratic country and everyone has the right to protest peacefully. But it should not violate the rules and regulations of the university.”

Choudhary said he had taken part in a protest organised by the students and it was only a co-incidence that loudspeakers had been put up.

“The protest was against the illegal arrest of Anna Hazare and corruption at all levels — the Centre, the state and the university,” he added.

Asked if he had taken any class today, Choudhary said he was on leave for a long time.

Other students’ bodies — associated with the ruling parties as well as the Opposition — also staged protests denouncing the UPA government and to express their support to the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Members of the JD(U) students’ wing took out a funeral procession of the UPA government. It started from the university campus and culminated at Kargil Chowk.