Bangalore University students were upset on Monday because a holiday was declared in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Jnanabharathi campus.
Modi visited the campus to inaugurate the new campus of the B R Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE).
Students said they were eager to greet Modi, at least by waving at him from a distance.
“Not allowing public movement considering safety protocols and traffic issues is understandable, but why were students banned from witnessing the visit?” one postgraduate student asked.
Students staying at BU hostels felt they were “jailed”.
“We were not even allowed to stand on the corridors of our hostels, the footpaths in front of the hostel and not even at the gate. We really felt like being jailed,” one student said.
Supporting the students, KPCC president D K Shivakumar slammed the government’s decision to declare a holiday to educational institutions.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said that it was “really unfortunate” that the government declared a holiday.
“Our students are not terrorists. They follow law and order. They know how to behave,” he said.
The government had issued an order, to close schools and colleges along the routes that the PM was to travel in Bengaluru.
This included Kengeri Upanagara, Jnanabharathi, Kumbalagodu, Bangalore University, IISc, Yeshwantpur, Goraguntepalya, Outer Ring Road, Laggere, Nayandahalli, Mysuru Road and in and around the Jakkur aerodrome.