Following the suspected food poisoning of nearly 600 students of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) at Basara on Friday, students staged a protest on the campus on Saturday against the inferior quality of food but they were immediately pacified by the authorities assuring action against the mess contractors.
The students displayed the poor quality of food material being used apart from stale vegetables on the campus in front of the authorities. Hundreds of students fell sick on Friday, but almost all of them recovered and they were sent back to the hostel from the hospital in Nizamabad.
Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) vice-chairman V. Venkata Ramana, who was deputed by the government to monitor the situation, held talks with the students and promised the administrative changes they were seeking. He said the administrative changes would come into effect from Monday.
Prof. Venkata Ramana, who is camping on the campus, told The Hindu that a police case had been filed against those responsible and “We are doing our best to provide whatever students have asked for.”
Meanwhile, BSP State coordinator R.S. Praveen Kumar visited the students at the hospital and demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao visit the campus. He said despite the massive protests a few days ago, the situation had not changed much, reflecting how these students were neglected.
Several student organisations also tried to meet the students, but they were not allowed. NSUI state president Venkat Balmoor was arrested on Friday night when he tried to visit the campus.
