BJP leaders on backfoot, write to NTTF director for reopening institute

Jamshedpur: Apparently perturbed over the turn of events following the visit of Bharatiya Janata Party district president Rajkumar Srivastava to NTTF, senior BJP leaders today demanded re-opening of the technical training institute in the larger interest of the people.

Former deputy Chief Minister and MLA of Jamshedpur East Raghuvar Das wrote a letter to the director of NTTF Jamshedpur demanding revocation of his decision to close down the institute. He expressed dismay over the abrupt decision of closure taken by the institute management.

�The institute has been closed for an indefinite period. The semester examination has also been cancelled by the management and all activities of the institution have been closed with immediate effect. This is against the interests of the students who are studying in NTTF. The management should not take such a harsh and insensible decision since it would adversely affect the future of so many students,� said Das.

NTTF was closed a few days back after alleged misbehaviour by BJP leaders including district president Rajkumar Srivastava. The director of NTTF KV Nayar had met DC and SSP and apprised them of the situation on the campus.
The legislator said the decision to close the institute altogether was not a wise decision and could not be appreciated since the institute had the responsibility to hone the future of so many students.

�It is a big responsibility for NTTF to provide technical education to students and give them a strong foundation of a bright future. Such petty incidents may happen sometimes. But they should never ever be allowed to snowball into such a controversy which affects the larger interest of students,� said Das.

Meanwhile, the district BJP president, who is in the eye of the storm after allegedly creating ruckus at the NTTF campus in support of an ailing student who was reportedly denied permission to appear in the semester exam, requested NTTF authorities to re-open the institute.

�It is indeed very unfortunate that NTTF has been closed. The allegations of NTTF officials against me and other BJP activists are baseless. They accused me of showing hooliganism on campus. But I had gone to NTTF to request them to allow an ailing student to appear in the exam. They denied her permission on the ground that her attendance was only 70 per cent whereas it should be 90 per cent.

The girl was hospitalized. So she should be allowed compassionately. But the authorities would not listen. This led us to take up the matter which resulted in the controversy,� said Srivastava in a press statement issued here today.

Former Jamshedpur West MLA and senior BJP leader Saryu Roy too, lamented the closure of NTTF and met its director to request him to re-open the institute. Members of Bhutpoorva Sainik Parishad, an association of former Army staff, condemned the incident and demanded a public apology from Rajkumar Srivastava and other BJP leaders for �insulting� and �harassing� the NTTF director, a retired Lieutenant Colonel.