Anandpur Sahib (Ropar), February 15
The impasse between students and the management of the Anandpur Sahib based Sikh Missionary College continued today with both sides sticking to their stands.
While talking to this correspondent at Dera Guru Nanak Prakash where they were camping, the students narrated tales of how they were allegedly treated like slaves in the college.
Giani Sarwan Singh, a final-year student of the college from Amritsar district, alleged that most of the students in the college came from poor families. It was the lure of jobs as preachers, granthis or dhadhies after graduation from the college that brought them here. As per the rules of the college no student could be sent for path or other religious rituals till he completed two years of study.
But, the college management sent even first-year students to perform religious rituals in different parts of the state. The students were, made to stay at different places for periods even extending upto fortnights.
But despite earning for the college the students were given poor food. They were reprimanded by the principal and the warden.
Another student, Gurpreet Singh Boghpur, alleged that at the time of admission the students were forced to sign an affidavit that if they wanted to leave the course an amount of Rs 1500 per month would be charged from them or their dependents. As most of the students were from economically poor families they were forced to obey the dictates of the management during the duration of the course fearing harassment to their families.
They demanded the removal of such draconian conditions forced the students into leading the lives of virtual slaves. Besides the removal of the Principal and Superintendent-cum-warden of the college were the main demands of the students. They also demanded that any student who wanted to leave the course in between should be allowed to do so without any condition or legal warning, he said.
The students also maintained that if their demands were not met they would continue with their struggle through peaceful means. Already some organisations like the Sikh Students Union and BKU (Ekta) have assured the support to them. Talks were also on with the students of the Khalsa college, Anandpur Sahib. If the college management failed to yield to their demands they would approach the district administration and hold dharna to press their demands.
Meanwhile the management which had yesterday decided to oust 10 students, further hardened their stand. The sources said if the students failed to return to the college they would take legal action against them as per the affidavits filed by them at the time of admission.
The Principal of the college, Mr Surinder Singh, also maintained that some people who wanted to open their own missionary college were behind the stalemate between students and college management.
