HGPI students seek appointment with CM, want to move to another campus

GANGTOK, 20 Dec: A group of 35 students who returned home from the Himalayan Group of Professional Institutes’ Kala Amb campus in Himachal Pradesh, waited outside the CM’s official residence, Mintokgang, the entire day today hoping to meet the Chief Minister. Some of them had even approached the CM’s Office last evening seeking an appointment.
Talking to NOW!, they said that they have been told that the CM would not be available till 24 December.
Around 45 students of Sikkim studying at the HGPI Kala Amb had fled back to Sikkim on 18 December following a clash with Haryana students at the campus in Himachal Pradesh. The students had alleged that they no longer felt secure studying at the institute.
“We thought it best to meet the CM as he is also the Minister in Charge of the Social Justice Department,” said the students today. All the students who returned were on scholarships provided by the Social Justice Department and are demanding that the State government assists them in getting transferred to another campus of the institute. The HGPI reportedly has two more campuses in HP, one each at Solan and Shimla.
“The administration at the institute watched as we were being threatened and roughed up by other students who even got outside help,” related one of the students. It was informed that the other group got local goons who came on motorbikes and seemed to be armed as well. “We were in the process of giving our semester exams; but now that is unlikely. The administration at the institute was unsupportive and we only want that we be transferred to another campus,” they stated.
It was informed that they had also met the Director, Social Justice Deptt, yesterday. “The meeting was not very encouraging as the Director tried to convince us to return to the institute”, stated one of the students. They were reportedly told that they could also lose their scholarships. Returning to the same campus is not an option for them, they insist.
Though they are from different parts of the State almost all of them have gathered in Gangtok to push their case for a transfer.
Getting a transfer to another campus is not a very complicated matter, they insist, and could have been done by the institution back in Himachal itself, especially as they were in the process of giving exams. With the administration not listening, they hope that the state government could at least put in a word for them given that they are on state scholarships.