Pera to re-open tomorrow

By Isuri Kaviratne

Peradeniya University will re-open tomorrow except the two faculties whose students were involved in a clash last Sunday, University Registrar Ranjith de Alwis said. He said these faculties - Science and Engineering will re-open on March 10.

“However, we would be stricter than before on student discipline inside University premises,” he said adding that taking liquor within University grounds would be strictly prohibited. Engineering Faculty Union president Samintha Narangoda said that neither politics nor unions were involved in this clash but it was the result of a personal conflict between two students belonging to the respective faculties and more students had got involved in it.

“As union members, we tried to stop it and we managed to control it to a certain extent but with the large number of students involved in it we found it difficult to control them,” Mr. Narangoda said. However, contradicting this statement, Science Faculty Union president Bandula Karunaratne said a political conspiracy was activated after the conflict started. “We don’t have any issues with the Engineering Faculty but we are against politicisation of Universities”, he said adding that politicians get involved in University matters to create disorder within the system and this is the origin of all clashes, including the recent one.