JD(U) students’ wing members stage a protest at Patna University on Tuesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Students owing allegiance to the JD(U) and the RJD on Tuesday took turns to disrupt work at the administrative block of Patna University opposing the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, especially the age limit to contest the union polls.

The protest started around 10.30am and continued till 1pm. The members of the students’ wings of both the parties locked the main entrance of the administrative block and forcefully evacuated the employees, demanding rollback of the age and the attendance bar to contest the students’ union election.

After 29 years, union polls would be conducted in Patna University on December 11 following the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.

Members of the RJD students’ wing started the chaos. They entered the campus around 10.30am under the leadership of Patna College student Raj Sinha giving slogans against the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations. They locked the entrance of the administrative block and forced some employees to leave their workstations.

Sinha said: “We are against certain recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee. We want an increase in the age bar of candidates and relaxation in the 75 per cent attendance, mandatory for a candidate.” The students’ wing of the RJD also demanded to allow the students facing criminal cases to contest the elections.

As the RJD supporters left, the JD(U) students stormed into the university campus around 12noon with almost identical demands. Venting their ire, some JD(U) students’ wing supporters climbed up the fence of the administrative block and started giving slogans.

Satyaveer Singh, a student of Patna College and a member of the JD(U) students’ wing, said: “As the union elections would be held after 29 years, many students are eager to contest. But several of them would not be able to file nomination because of the age factor and the mandatory attendance.”

By the time the JD(U) supporters left the campus, half the day was lost. An employee of the examination section of the university said: “Such protests have become a routine affair at the university. As the varsity would conduct the first semester examination for postgraduate students from December 17, we have lot of work to do. Protests simply hamper our work.”

The twin protests would hardly be of any help for the RJD and the JD(U) students’ wings because the university administration has clearly stated that it would not tinker with the recommendations of the panel. U.K. Sinha, the chairman of the Patna University Students’ Union election committee, said: “University is not the competent authority to change the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee.”