Students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar on Tuesday evening sought the immediate intervention of the central and Assam governments to resolve the standoff with the institute’s administration following the alleged suicide of a student on Friday.

A representation has also been sent to President Droupadi Murmu.

An uneasy calm prevails on the NIT campus after students went on an indefinite strike and boycotted classes from Monday, seeking the resignation of two senior administrators following the death of Koj Buker, a third-year electrical engineering student from Arunachal Pradesh.

They are also demanding that no action be taken against any student who took part in the protests. Buker was “under stress” owing to multiple backlogs and his repeated pleas to hold special examinations to clear the backlogs were “not” accepted, the students claimed.

A senior member of the administration had met the students on Monday night and on Tuesday afternoon, requesting them to call off the protest till the director returns on
Friday but the students stuck to their demands in the absence of written assurance to meet them. The students fear they will be targeted once the storm subsides, one of them said.

With both the students and the administration digging in their heels, the students called up the Assam chief minister’s office and Raj Bhavan in the morning to apprise them of the situation.

By evening, they emailed a representation to the Assam chief minister's office and the Prime Minister's office.