Agitation on the campus of Rajasthan Technical University in Kota intensified as students continued their sit-in protest for the second straight day following the tragic demise of student Akshit Sharma. Throughout Friday, multiple rounds of discussions took place between student representatives and university authorities alongside district officials. However, the protesting scholars remained steadfast in their resolve, declining to call off their demonstration until the university administration issued an official written assurance addressing their critical demands. The campus remained charged with concern as students emphasized that verbal promises were insufficient given the gravity of the situation.
Vice-Chancellor and District Officials Step In to Pacify Protesters
Early on Friday morning, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nimit Chowdhary visited the protest venue to interact directly with the aggrieved students and hear their grievances. Later in the afternoon, administrative interventions gathered momentum when Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Vinod Malhotra and Additional Superintendent of Police Subhash Mishra arrived on the scene. Both senior officials engaged with the agitated demonstrators, attempting to broker an understanding and urging them to withdraw the dharna. Despite prolonged dialogues, the students stood firm on demanding concrete, documented timelines and administrative commitments.
During the exchanges, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nimit Chowdhary elaborated on the operational constraints confronting the institution. He observed that the university campus is approximately 50 years old, noting that infrastructural overhauls inevitably take time owing to procedural government clearances and ongoing shortages of staff. Nevertheless, he assured the gathering that the administration would initiate dedicated measures to rectify prevailing issues. Regarding the incident that sparked the unrest, Prof. Chowdhary maintained that the conclusive reasons behind the untimely death of Akshit Sharma could only be confirmed once the official post-mortem examination report is made available.
Demands for Round-the-Clock Healthcare, Ambulance and Campus Upgrades
The core of the student agitation centers on a stark absence of basic healthcare infrastructure inside the university premises. Protesters are urgently demanding that a 24-hour medical facility be operational within the campus, complete with the active deployment of two medical practitioners and continuous round-the-clock availability of an ambulance. The students highlighted that more than 2,500 students reside across the university's 8 hostels, yet the present on-campus dispensary functions merely for restricted hours during the day. In the event of a medical emergency late at night, hostel residents face immense difficulties in securing timely medical attention.
Beyond emergency medical intervention, the student charter encompasses comprehensive structural renovations for all residential hostels and academic buildings. Demonstrators pointed to pressing deficiencies in sanitation, clean drinking water, safe mess food, and campus-wide illumination. They voiced acute worries over dense darkness across multiple sections of the grounds, pointing out frequent sightings of snakes that pose severe hazards to residents walking after dark. Consequently, the demands also include the installation of operational street lighting across the entire perimeter alongside the permanent presence of a 24-hour rescue squad.
Candlelight March Conducted to Commemorate Akshit Sharma
As darkness fell on Friday evening, students gathered in large numbers to hold a solemn candlelight march across the RTU campus. The peaceful procession served to pay homage to Akshit Sharma while reaffirming their unified stand for structural accountability. Participants stated that the life, safety, and health of students living in institutional accommodations must never be treated as secondary matters. As things stand, the dharna remains active, with the student body awaiting an unambiguous written declaration from university leaders.
