Students at Rajasthan Technical University in Kota called off a two-day protest on Friday evening after Vice-Chancellor Prof Nimit Choudhary gave written assurances on their demands, following the death of first-year student Akshit Sharma in a university hostel.
The protest began after Sharma’s death on Thursday, with students raising concerns about campus infrastructure and hostel conditions. They held an overnight demonstration at the university’s main gate and insisted that the administration provide written commitments on their grievances before ending the agitation.
The circumstances of Sharma’s death have not been conclusively established. Choudhary denied that the student died of a snakebite and said the death appeared to be due to cardiac arrest. The final cause will be known only after the post-mortem report is received.
Tensions on campus increased on Friday when a five-foot-long venomous snake was found in a hostel bathroom. The snake was rescued shortly afterwards, but its presence intensified students’ concerns about the condition and safety of hostel facilities. The incident occurred while students were already seeking action on infrastructure-related complaints.
The university had removed chief warden Prof D K Yadav from the post on Thursday, following a demand by the protesting students. The administration also held multiple rounds of talks with the protesters, but students continued the demonstration until they received written assurances from the vice-chancellor.
The discussions that led to the protest being called off were held in the presence of the city’s additional district magistrate. Choudhary said he spent more than two hours among the protesters listening to their concerns. He said the university shared their concerns over infrastructure upgrades and was working to address their reasonable demands.
The vice-chancellor also attributed delays in administrative action to procedural requirements at a government institution. He said these processes could slow the pace of work, but the administration was trying to expedite action on the issues raised by students.
After ending the protest, students took out a candle march on Friday evening in tribute to Sharma. The post-mortem report is expected to establish the cause of his death, while the university administration’s written assurances are expected to guide the next steps on hostel conditions and infrastructure upgrades.
