By Tej SH
Following eleven days of protests, the students of Army Law College continue their protests against Dr Manushree Joshi and Col Sameer Man, having accusations of an unprofessional work environment. The lectures for the students were conducted in an irregular manner as they took place outside the classrooms. Meanwhile, Savitribai Phule Pune University, to whom the college is affiliated, has demanded an explanation and a report on the protest and how the college plans to resolve the issue. A student states that all 377 students are against the principal and they do not know why she is getting support from the administrative staff. The students min motive is for the principal to resign and having seen that their demands have not been met, they continue to protest against the college.
The students also allege that the environment of the college has become extremely hostile and the students also feel oppressed within their own campus due to the principal and registrars regime takeover. They also allege that the members of the faculty are being assigned topics and subjects which are not in their area of expertise and as such, the quality of education may also dim. The academic timetables have also been changed erratically with minimal to no prior notice according to the students. They also allege that the administration also implements academic policies which would affect the students mental health. The Student Council of the college has been dissolved and various other issues led the students to continue their protests.
SPPU Pro Vice Chancellor Parag Kalkar hopes to resolve the matter through email. He says that after he receives the report, the university would take appropriate action according to the University Act and if the issue does not get resolved at the college level, then the University would have to get involved.
The principal Joshi denies the allegations placed against her by the students and states that the protests by the students were not required and were unexpected. She mentions how the offices of the college are open for discussions with the students. This statement was provided after the administration called the police in the campus when the protests began.