Kota: Students at Rajasthan Technical University (RTU) continued their protest for a second day Friday following the alleged snakebite death of first-year student Akshit Sharma in a university hostel Thursday.The students staged an overnight demonstration at the main gate, demanding written assurances on their grievances.The situation intensified after a five-foot-long venomous snake was found in a hostel bathroom Friday, triggering panic on campus. The snake was rescued shortly afterwards.However, Vice-Chancellor Prof Nimit Choudhary denied that Sharma had died of a snakebite, saying the death appeared to be due to cardiac arrest. He said the actual cause would be established only after the post-mortem report was received.Despite multiple rounds of talks with the university administration, the students continued their protest, insisting on written assurances regarding their demands. The administration, however, declined to provide a written commitment.The university removed chief warden Prof D K Yadav from the post Thursday, following a demand by the protesting students.Choudhary addressed the students at the main gate and spent more than two hours listening to their grievances, he told TOI Friday. He said the university shared the students’ concerns over infrastructure upgrades and that officials were working to address their reasonable demands.Explaining the delay in administrative action, the vice-chancellor said procedural requirements at a govt institution often slowed the pace of work, but the administration was trying to expedite matters.Prof Choudhary urged students to maintain dialogue, saying he viewed them as his own children and regularly visited to hear their concerns and seek solutions.The students maintained that their protest would continue until the administration provided formal written assurances on all their demands.
