Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe students of Maharaja Purna Chandra (MPC) Autonomous College are on an indefinite strike in front of the college protesting against the delay in disbursal of stipend to them.

They have locked the college gate and are not allowing the staff to enter the premises. Agitator led by students of Degree and Post Graduate from different streams of the college and Mayurbhanj Adivasi Students Association (MASA) are determined to paralyse the college till a firm date is given for disbursal of stipend.

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Dinesh Kumar Murmu, Bikash Patra, Mangal Hansda and MASA’s president Suklal Marandi, the agitators, alleged that the SC and ST students who are reading in the educational institution have not received stipend since couple of years.

“A large number SC and ST students study in the institution, most of them belong to financially weaker sections and depend on the stipend to continue here” said MASA’s President Suklal Marandi.

The college authorities need to take it up seriously with concerned authorities which they are not doing, alleged Marandi and others.

They said, “ we met the district welfare officer Krupasindhu Behera and college principal Madhusudan Sahu , but there was no satisfactory answer to our question and assurance towards fulfilling our demand”.

When contacted, DWO, Mr Behera admitted that there has been a delay in disbursal of stipend. Hopefully by end of this month the stipend will be provided, he added.