BU students protest temple construction on campus

Bangalore University (BU) students staged a protest on Wednesday demanding that the construction of a temple on the Jnanabharathi campus be stopped.

The students reached the spot where the government is constructing the Ganesha temple and urged authorities to stop the work. “We have no information who gave them permission to construct a temple inside the campus. Let them build a library for students instead,” a student said.

However, BU authorities explained that the decision to build the temple was taken when K R Venugopal was the vice-chancellor.

“There is already a temple inside the campus adjacent to the convention hall, and it will be demolished in the proposed road-expansion plan. The previous vice-chancellor had agreed for reconstruction/shifting of the temple and they even finalised the spot,” said an official of the university.

Officials also clarified that it is not a new temple. “It is basically shifting of the temple. We hope students will understand.”