CFI protests over scholarship woes; locks up minority welfare office in Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Aug 25: Hundreds of students from across Dakshina Kannada district on Tuesday staged a massive demonstration under the banner of Campus Front of India in front of Mangaluru City Corporation which houses minority welfare office, protesting against curbing educational scholarship given to minority communities and seeking fulfilments of various demands of student community.

The students holding CFI flags marched from PVS junction to Lal Bagh. A tense situation prevailed at the MCC building for some time when some of the agitators locked the entrance door of the minority welfare office after sending all the staff out. A team of police led by Inspector Ravish Naik from Urwa Police Station urged the students not to cross the limits and hold the protest peacefully.

The agitators said that they have no other option as the government is trying to cheat minority students by denying them scholarship. “Students are unable to upload scholarship applications into the national scholarship portal due to server problem. Our cries are falling on deaf ears,” they said.

The protesters said that most of the students in rural areas are computer illiterates, who are not comfortable with internet and scanning the documents. There have been complaints that brokers are taking huge money from the students for the application.

The students also slammed Akram Pasha, Director of Minority Welfare Department, for failing to address the problems of the students.

Meanwhile, Mangaluru City (South) MLA JR Lobo, who has been recently appointed the chairman of the state legislative backward class and minorities committee met the protesters and accepted a memorandum submitted by them.

Mr Lobo promised the protesters to raise the issue with the authorities concerned and try to fulfil the demands of the protesters.

The demands of CFI include, 1) extension of the final dates of all the scholarships, 2) simplified process for the website must be put in place, with consultations from parent and students’ bodies, 3) high level official must be appointed to look after the website’s technical glitches, 4) to rectify the errors that have been occurring in the website, 5) authorities must equip the ground level staff and train them and clear out all the technical issues 6) the management of the scholarships must be handed over to state governments with separate servers and equipment.

Also Read: CFI accuses Modi of curbing minority scholarships