Cuttack, Oct. 6: The decision of the Ravenshaw University authorities to cancel the students’ union elections and closed the institute indefinitely has triggered protests from people belonging to various walks of life.

Terming the move as “undemocratic”, the Ravenshaw Bikash Abhiyan, a group of students, guardians and academics, today decided to initiate a mass movement demanding revocation of the decision.

“There was no violence that would have prompted the authorities to clamp indefinite closure. A majority of students want college union elections to be held,” said convener of the group Ajay Jena, adding that a delegation would shortly meet governor S.C. Jamir, who is also the chancellor of the university, to find a possible solution to the impasse.

A convention called by the group today saw a large number of students, former students and intellectuals discussing measures on how normality could return to the varsity campus.

“We believe whatever happened at Ravenshaw was meant to derail the election process. A handful of students were involved in violence and that was not sufficient ground for the authorities to clamp sine die closure,” said Santosh Pathak, a student.