Cuttack: Students and former students of Shailabala Women’s Autonomous College in Cuttack staged a protest on Saturday, demanding that the state government upgrade the college to a full-fledged university.
The demonstration comes a day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the establishment of four new universities in Odisha while presenting the annual budget for 2026–27. Students expressed disappointment that Shailabala College, one of the state’s pioneering institutions for women’s education and social empowerment, was not included in the announcement.
“We have been peacefully protesting on the college campus for the past 30 days. The government often praises women as ‘Subhadra’, but it seems our demands are being ignored. Shailabala College has long been a leader in promoting women’s education and social activities in Odisha, and it deserves university status,” said a student participating in the protest.
Another student appealed directly to the Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj to personally visit the college and assure them that the upgrade would be considered. “We have been protesting peacefully and know what we deserve. The government came to power on the slogan of ‘Odia Asmita’ (Odia pride), but what is it doing for this college?” she said.
Former students of the college also joined the protest. One ex-student said, “During the previous BJD government, we raised this issue, but nothing was done. We hope the current BJP government will honour its promises and not neglect Shailabala Women’s College. Ignoring the college now is unacceptable.”
