Section of Geyzing college students say they were misguided, blame student leaders

KUSH HANG LEEWANG

GEYZING : A group of students from Government Degree College, Geyzing have termed recent sit-in at the State Education department office premises unprepared and uncalled for, and have claimed that they were misguided to be part of the protest movement.
The students alleged that Prabin Basnet and Prabin Upreti, who had led the agitation, misused and misguided them without intimating them about their real motives.
The students who had participated in the protest movement regarding college construction project, in a press conference here held on Thursday, informed that the students, after an emergency meeting, were invited to visit Gangtok to meet Education minister Kunga Nima Lepcha regarding the matter pertaining to college construction project informing that appointment with the minister was guaranteed but no such appointment was fixed and they were lied and manipulated to join the sit - in.
Bibesh Chettri, a second year student of the college, said the final year students Prabin Basnet and Prabin Upreti who had taken the students to Gangtok never intimidated the students about their plan of protest. But the students had headed to the capital as they were assured a meeting with Education minister and the concerned departmental officials, he added.
Chettri shared that despite the assurance of Education additional chief secretary G.P. Upadhyaya to arrange a meeting between Education minister and the students, some students were detained by police when they did not give a passage to the additional chief secretary to his quarter and failed to comply with law and order related issues.
Chettri further added that it was unlawful to occupy the government property for a sit-in in an undemocratic way. Chettri further advised Parbin Basnet and Prabin Upreti who had led the protest movement not to play with the sentiments of the students for their personal gains.
Amrit Chettri, another student of college, maintained that the students were unaware of the “destructive intentions” of the student leaders and they were not prepared for the protest. He maintained that the government degree college was known for protest movements and all the wrong reasons, putting the prestige of the college at stake.
Smriti Limboo, a third year student of the college, added that after the detention of students, she was sent back to Geyzing to gather students' support from the college so that more numbers of the students could reach the protest venue to intensify the movement. She further shared that after being convinced that the movement was based on unwanted provocations, she backed off.
Some students said that though in a low pace, the construction of college was being undertaken and they were thankful to the State government.
"The infrastructural development related to a higher educational institution may take time as many aspects of the project have to be fulfilled. Let’s give some more time to the State Education department,” the students said.
Meanwhile, Upreti and Basnet maintained that the movement led by them was democratic and pro-students. They said, “The subject was a small issue but was portrayed as an anti-government and some students might have been pressurised to withdraw their support from the movement that they were part of. As alleged by some students, if we had misguided them they could have left our movement midway but they were with us till the end of our protest. They could have headed to their respective home in the second day of our protest if they were that much aware of our evil designs as they have alleged,” Basnet said.
Upreti expressed that it was a highly condemnable act on some section of students who branded them culprits when they were fighting for welfare of all the students. Upreti claimed that out of 200 to 300 students, few students standing against the demand cast doubt on their motive. He also expressed that with the support of “paid media” the genuine demands of students were being side-lined.
"We also have video evidence to refute some students' claims of being misled on the subject. A student who attended the press conference on Thursday had poured all his venom against the government and we have proof to expose him. He is playing an innocent card now,” Sharma said.