GB Pant College students stage protest against non-inclusion of institute in admission process

NEW DELHI: Students of GB Pant Engineering College here staged a protest outside north Delhi's Vikas Sadan on Monday against non-inclusion of the institute in the counselling process for admission this year by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.

According to police officials, several students gathered to protest and are still at the stop. However, no action has been taken against them by police. "Admission procedure of GBPEC should be continued and GBPEC should admit students this year. We consulted our principal on the issue who claimed that he was not informed officially by any means and was not consulted for the same. "Anything that the government has planned for the future of GBPEC, it should be shared with the college administration and students both in a written format," the students said in a memorandum of demands.

The Delhi Cabinet had last year in March approved construction of an integrated campus of GB Pant Engineering College (GBPEC) and Polytechnic at Okhla Industrial Estate at an estimated cost of over Rs 520 crore. However, there has been no official word on non-inclusion of the college in the counselling process for admission. "We had earlier gone to meet Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. While we could not meet him, his office had assured us that our college name will appear in IPU counselling list, which has not happened so far," a protesting student said. While students were adamant on meeting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal or his deputy Sisodia, police officials tried to persuade them to call off the protest.

"Around 60 students have gathered at Vikas Sadan. They are staging protest over their internal issues pertaining to their college. They demand that their college be listed for counselling," a senior police official said. "Many of them were persuaded, following which they eventually dispersed from the spot. However, a few of them are still at the protest venue. No action has been taken against any student so far," the official added.