IIT Kgp students demonstrate in support of Hazare

Kharagpur (WB), Aug 22  Students of IIT-Kharagpur and some others today held a demonstration near the campus of the premier technical institute here in support of Anna Hazare's movement hours before the PM arrived to attend the annual convocation.The demonstrators, claiming they had been holding a relay hunger-strike for the last seven days at a 'dharna manch' set up one km outside the campus to demand early acceptance of the Jan Lokpal bill, raised slogans in favour of the Gandhian's movement against corruption.The protesters, under the banner 'Kharagpur Nagarik Manch', were wearing Gandhi caps at the dharna manch, the makeshift walls which were plastered with posters pronouncing 'Anna Hazare we are with you' and 'We support your cause Anna'.The convocation passed off peacefully with no disruption reported.Three students of the premier technical institute joined the protesters and some threatened that they would not attend the convocation. Sashi Sekhar Singh, an M Tech structural Engineering student, who is set to receive a degree at the convocation, said, "I will not attend the convocation function to express solidarity with Anna Hazare's movement.'' Ritesh Singh, a third-year Computer Science student of IIT, claimed he was on a hunger strike from August 16 in support of Anna Hazare's movement. Ajay Kumar Yadav, who is doing a Ph.d in Mechanical Engineering, and Rakesh Ranjan, an M.Tech student in Mechanical Engineering department, said many students, who are set to receive degrees 'will go to the function wearing Gandhi caps and if the authorities refuse them permission, they will not attend the convocation." PTI DC SAG PB MD KAB