BPUT's 1st Alumni Meet Takes a Wrong Turn

The very first happy alumni meet ofBiju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) turned dark on the bright Sunday as a section of used to be students welcomed Vice chancellor Shyam Sundar Pattnaik with black flags, tomatoes and eggs.

As the varsity was failed to organize a Special Recruitment Drive (SRD) 2014 promised last year, conduct examinations and publish results on time the former students commented some very awful things and ransacked the meeting venue at a prominent city hotel. They burnt tyres outside the hotel at Master Canteen Square to vent their anger.

The 13-year-old varsity, based in Rourkela, had organized the meet with a motive to involve the pass outs in its development and to improve job prospects for existing students. During Pattnaik's interactive session with the crowd, some of them suddenly turned violent in which appeared as a planned move. Technical education minister Sanjay Das Burma, who was scheduled to attend the event, was conspicuous by his absence.

Some students were seen trying to shove the VC and inviting him to a verbal duel. Another group, however, tried to stop them and protected Pattnaik.

Talking to reporters after the violent outburst of the students, the VC said, "The students were probably upset with certain things, for which I am not responsible. After my joining the university around eight months ago, I have tried my best to streamline everything. However, there cannot be overnight results. I wish the students had not resorted to such means, which portrays the university in poor light," he said.

Biplab Mohanty, president of the BPUT student protection council (BSPC), a student body, said it was an event driven by anger and disappointment "We had given an ultimatum to the VC on December 23 to announce a date for the SRD within three days. That was not done".