Colombo VC Suspending Dissent Says Students For Human Rights

April 26, 2014

Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo is using “Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act of 1998″ to silence student dissent against arbitrary administrative action, says the Students for Human Rights.

Vice Chancellor Kumara Hirimburegama

Issuing a statement on the recent student suspension the Students for Human Rights said today; “This also brings into open, the real repressive quality of the laws and regulations governing the universities. Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act of 1998, was enacted to eliminate ragging within universities not to silence students dissent. There had been no reports of ragging at the protest, in fact even the parents of the first year students were present during the protest action. However, the content of the Act, which is claimed to have been enacted to protect new students from ragging, is used by the authorities to force a different form of ragging on the new students. Under Section 3 of the said act, intimidation of students, with the intention of causing fear in the victim or compelling the victim to do any act which the victim is not legally required to do, or to omit to do any act which the victim is entitled to do, is defined as an act punishable under the Act, which means such an qualifies as an act of ragging. Looking at the incidents unfolding in the University of Colombo it is none other than the VC who appears to be the biggest bully of them of all since he is using suspensions as tools of intimidation to create a fear within the student community to stand up against the hostel cuts and the dispossession of rights that they are entitled to.”

We publish below the statement in full;

20 students from Faculties of Arts,Law and Education of University of Colombo have been suspended by the Vice Chancellor Kumara Hirimburegama citing violations of the Conduct Code of the University and anti-ragging laws. These suspensions are the fresh additions to a series of suspensions issued by university administrations to silence student dissent against arbitrary administrative action.                               Read More