A large-scale protest led by the All India Students’ Association (ABVP) was held in Koppal on Friday, demanding that the state government provide essential infrastructure and construct a dedicated building for Koppal University, which is viewed as a beacon of higher education for the district’s students.
A massive gathering of students marched from Ashoka Chandra Circle to the District Administration Building, where they raised slogans against the state government, district administration, and Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayaraddi. The protesters expressed anger that Rayaraddi, despite being from the district, has taken no steps to improve the university’s conditions. Although the students initially insisted that MLA Raghavendra Hittanahalli or District Collector Dr. Suresh Ithnahalli must come forward to accept their petition, Additional District Commissioner Siddharameshwara eventually arrived at the site to listen to their demands.
The demonstrators demanded that the government identify and allocate suitable government land for the university, provide funding for the construction of its own building, and ensure the district administration initiates construction work within a specified timeframe. They also called for the provision of classrooms, laboratories, a library, an administrative building, and other facilities to meet the basic educational needs of the students. Additionally, they urged the authorities to formulate a comprehensive campus plan with a focus on the university’s future expansion and development.
The university has been operating out of the building of the Government Engineering College in Thalakal, Kuknur taluk, for the past three years. There have been repeated demands to relocate the institution to the district headquarters, as students there continue to face a shortage of basic infrastructure. Siddharameshwara, who accepted the petition, stated that their demands would be brought to the attention of the government.
The protest was attended by Dharshan Hegde, State Secretary of the North Karnataka Region; Sumangala, State Joint Secretary; Hamigesh S.P., District Coordinator; Aditya N. Hawale, City Secretary; and Jayashree, Abhishek, Kiran, Niveditha, Manohar, Anand, Nagaraj, Arun, Gurubasav, and Chandrashekhara Gudas.