Police deployed on Utkal University campus on Sunday after students’ unrest. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 22: A group of Utkal University students, involved in a major campus brawl on July 13, today withdrew their five-day protest outside the Raj Bhavan following the varsity authorities’ decision to cancel students’ union election there this year.

However, when these students were entering the university this morning, there was a commotion as the gatekeepers stopped them at the entrance, assuming some of them to be non-students.

They were finally allowed to go in following police intervention. One platoon of police force was also deployed in anticipation of fresh violence.

Later, vice-chancellor P.K. Sahu, PG council chairman P.K. Mishra and registrar D.N. Jena held a meeting with the leaders of the rival student groups.

Jena said the student groups reached a compromise and had resolved to maintain peace on the campus. “Both parties have promised not to indulge in further violence,” he said.

On July 13 night, the two rival groups, including students and non-students, had clashed leaving seven persons, including four students, injured and several vehicles damaged. They had also lodged complaints against each other with the Saheed Nagar police.

Sahu said the university had constituted a fact-finding team, which would track non-students putting up at the hostel.

“After the team submits its report, we would initiate action against the defaulters very soon,” the vice-chancellor said.

Though both groups agreed on driving away non-students from the campus, one group said they were not fully satisfied with the meeting today.

“They did not talk about compensation to students, who sustained injuries and lost their vehicles,” said Sangram Patra, a law student, who had sustained injuries in the clash and took part in the demonstration outside the Raj Bhavan.

Even outgoing students’ union president Tanmaya Swain said non-students should not be allowed on the campus and demanded 24x7 security at all entry and exit gates, regular checking of identity cards of students and strict action against trespassers and trouble mongers.

Students have, however, criticised the university authorities’ decision to cancel students’ union polls this time.

“We don’t want elections to be discontinued and would appeal to the authorities not to take a decision in haste,” said Swain. Chairman of the PG council P.K. Mishra said they had only recommended for cancellation of elections and would discuss the matter in detail soon.

He said the university would also issue a notice to final-year postgraduation students to vacate their hostel rooms within a week of completion of back paper exams on August 2.

“Once exams are over, they would cease to be students of this university and thus, would need to move out of the campus within a week. Students would be required to handover their room keys to the respective hostel superintendents or wardens, who will inform us about the rooms vacated on a daily basis,” said Mishra.

“Seven days after this exercise, we will conduct a thorough inspection in every hostel and evict those staying illegally,” he said, adding that a group of 30 faculty members of the university, led by him, has been making rounds of the campus every evening since the on-campus clash.

Talking about the measures being taken for security of students, Mishra said armed security guards had been deployed at the entrance while all gates, barring one, are kept closed to prevent the entry of outsiders.

“The gates were closed for the first time in eight years or so. Very soon, we would make it compulsory for students to produce their identity cards at the entrance gate, hostels and library,” he said.