Police on Ravenshaw university campus on Friday afternoon. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Sept. 27: Fresh spurt of violence on the Ravenshaw University campus here today prompted authorities to call off student union elections this year during an emergency staff council meeting.

Sources said around 100 youths allegedly ransacked property inside the arts block and vice-chancellor’s office. Furniture and some of the entry gates were also damaged.

“They also misbehaved with a few girl students. No step was taken by the authorities and private security guards to prevent them from entering the varsity,” said Charchit Mohanty, a final-year student.

The incident occurred when a group of students led by presidential aspirant Nigamananda Swain were staging a demonstration in front of the main gate.

“Outsiders entering the campus and creating unrest was a conspiracy to cancel the elections,” said Abhisekh Mohanty, a BCom third-year student.

Around two platoons of police force were deployed to maintain law and order on the university campus.

“Some groups with vested interests are hell bent on creating disturbance. So, we have decided to cancel campus polls this year,” said university vice-chancellor B.C. Tripathy, adding that all the faculty members had expressed concern over the turbulent situation prevailing on campus over the last week.

This is the first time that the students’ polls have been cancelled at Ravenshaw after it attained varsity status in 2006.

Following the decision, over 100 students gheraoed the staff members inside the vice chancellor’s office in the evening.

Referring to today’s episode, Tripathy said: “We have decided to lodge a police complaint against those unidentified youths. We have already asked deputy commissioner of police S. Praveen Kumar to take appropriate measures to maintain law and order on the campus.”

A disciplinary committee has also been formed to investigate the campus disturbance and take action against students involved in the violence.

Until today, Ravenshaw authorities had kept in abeyance the decision to hold polls after a protest over denial of admission to two meritorious students to postgraduate course in international studies on September 20.

Criticising the varsity for cancelling the elections, present president of Ravenshaw University students’ union, Saubhagya Swain said: “This decision is against our democratic rights.”