Hundreds of students led by Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) demanded that the State government immediately roll back their decision to close down nine public universities and provide more funds for these universities in the upcoming budget.

However, the police arrested hundreds of ABVP activists who tried to lay seige to the Vidhana Soudha, after the protest.

ABVP’s Northern Province State Secretary Sachina Kulageri said that for the past several days, their organization has been holding various protests across the state demanding that the universities not be closed.

ABVP Karnataka South Province State Secretary Praveen K. said that the nine universities newly established in Karnataka have gained great importance in terms of increasing the number of people pursuing higher education in the backward districts of the State and encouraging the poor, the talented, and the girls to pursue education.

“All these universities should be transformed into educational centers providing minimum administration and maximum education by enabling extensive use of digital technology, unlike the traditional universities already existing in the State,” he said.