Mysuru/Mysore: The University of Mysore (UoM) has decided to constitute two Committees to probe Free Kashmir placard case and to look into the UoM hostels where some persons are allegedly staying for years without the approval of the Varsity.

Nalini Balakumar, an alumna of UoM had displayed a placard with ‘Free Kashmir’ written on it during a protest called by various organisations inside the UoM campus recently. 

The organisations include UoM?Researchers Association, Dalit Vidyarthi Okkoota, Bahujan Vidyarthi Sangha, Students’ Federation of India and All India Democratic Students Organisation and they opposed the attack on students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi. Following the display of the placard, the City Police booked a suo-moto sedition case and is investigating. 

Rocked by the controversy, the University has now decided to seek explanations from students and research scholars who took part in the agitation. The Varsity Syndicate had appealed to authorities to suspend the participants and to evict squatters at the hostels.  

The University has also decided to set up a Committee to identify those staying illegally (not authorised by the University) in the 20 undergraduate and post-graduate hostels in Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Hassan. 

Vice-Chancellor Prof. G. Hemantha Kumar said the Syndicate members, who discussed the matter, decided to set up two Internal Committees. While one Committee will probe the placard incident and seek explanation from students and research scholars, the other will identify unauthorised occupants of hostels. 

Syndicate members had appealed to authorities to suspend those who took part in the protest and to ensure only students are staying in hostels. The UoM was told by Syndicate members that hostels are being misused and people who are not students have occupied rooms since many years. They suspected these rooms are being misused for various purposes, including spoiling the atmosphere on the campus.

Meanwhile, UoM?Researchers’ Association President Maridevaiah, one of the organisers of the protest, was granted anticipatory bail. In another development, a group of senior advocates, including some from Bengaluru, have assured students that they would represent them against any charge including sedition. 

It may be mentioned here that the Mysore Bar Association had refused to take up the case of Nalini who is facing sedition charges.