Madras University faculty demand security

Professor S S Sundaram, general secretary of the Madras University Professors’ Forum and head of the Indian History department, alleged that last week two students from the legal studies department attacked professor A David Ambrose, head of the department.

“We want those two students be arrested for which we (faculty and staff) have gathered for a protest. In the past one year, there had been student protests in the university. We want the administration to analyse the background of such protests and take suitable action against those who instigate them,” he said.

Sundaram added that only students from two or three departments in the university had been involved in protests. “When students can approach univesity authorities to get their issues redressed, what is the need for a protest,” he said. “Few students indulge in protest bringing down the reputation of the whole university,” another faculty said. 

The faculty demanded that the administration provide fool proof security to faculty, students and staff in all their campuses and not allow anybody not related to the university activities enter the campus without permission. Professor S Sumathi, head of the Anthropology department at the university, said that it was for the past one year that the university had been witnessing student protests.