Disagreement between students and college management over research grant amount has led to a closure of Chyasal-based Himalaya College of Engineering as police were called in on Wednesday evening to disperse agitating students.

As part of their ongoing protests to increase their research grant provided by the college, fourth-year Civil Engineering students had staged a sit in on campus premises blocking the exit of college director Kishor Gautam on Wednesday demanding the row be settled immediately. College administration called in police to chase away the protesters and video footages shot by students show police attacking students as they refused to budge.

Three students have been hospitalised while more than 20 sustained injuries in the clash. Police escorted director Gautam out of the college on Wednesday evening and the college has remained closed since. Police have barred entry into the college.

All 96 fourth-year Civil Engineering students had submitted a joint application to the college demanding their annual grant for field research and study which is Rs3,000 or Rs3,500 depending on their respective subjects by Rs1,000 each in line with Pulchowk Engineering College. As repeated discussion

between students and college administration ended inconclusively, students had resorted to demonstrations.

“Our demand is genuine as the amount the college provides is insufficient to complete our research,” Kashi Nath Puri, one of the protesting students, said. “We had followed due process and the management had promised to address our concern but when it was not fulfilled we resorted to a peaceful sit in.” Director Gautam called in police to disrupt our peaceful demonstrations while another college staff Yuvraj Pandey directed police to attack students, he added.

Another director of the college Rameshwor Aryal tried to brush off the incident claiming police were just trying to rescue Gautam from the students who were adamant on not letting him go. “This is just an incident of politicians using students to fulfil their vested interests and college had to take a stand by shutting off classes,” he said, adding that college should restart from Saturday.

But other students of the college say the management has resorted to such action in the past as well whenever it wants to shy away from settling problems. “Administration tries to pressurise students by closing the college rather than fulfilling their demands,” student leader Ashish Parajuli said. “Only last month, the management had closed the college for four days.” Parajuli claimed that all the students of the college are in support of the current protesters as tuition fees keep on rising but college facilities remain the same.

The disgruntled students have demanded immediate resumption of college and resignation of those officials responsible for Wednesday fracas. Apart from regular classes, the ongoing row has affected exams and other student projects.