Kozhikode: The stand-off between the National Institute of Technology-Calicut (NIT-C) administration and protesting students ended on Saturday after the authorities agreed to address their major demands, including the revival of the Students' Affairs Council (SAC), reopening of the Arch Gate and lifting restrictions on students' movement within the campus during night hours.

The breakthrough came after students staged a protest in front of the administrative block on Saturday afternoon, following the cancellation of a proposed meeting between the institute director and student representatives earlier in the day. The authorities subsequently invited the students for discussions, during which they agreed to consider and implement the major demands raised by the student community.

Apart from agreeing to revive the SAC, the administration assured students that the Arch Gate would be opened, additional buses would be introduced to improve campus transportation, and the library would be made accessible round the clock. The authorities also agreed to lift the existing curfew restrictions on students' movement within the campus during night hours.

Following the discussions, the students decided to call off their protest. However, they said the administration would hand over formal documents detailing the decisions next week. The students expressed hope that the authorities would honour their assurances and implement the decisions as agreed, adding that they had called off the agitation based on this understanding.

The latest developments followed days of protests over a series of issues, including the demand for reviving the SAC, successive fee hikes, inadequate campus bus services, restrictions on students' movement, limited library hours, hostel mess facilities and delays in addressing student grievances.

The standoff had intensified on Saturday morning after the administration cancelled a scheduled meeting with student representatives. The Students' Governance Body (SGB) had objected to holding the interaction at the Senate Hall, arguing that its limited seating capacity would prevent wider participation. It had instead demanded that the meeting be held at Aryabhatta Hall, which can accommodate around 450 students, to enable all interested students to directly interact with the director.

The administration maintained that a meeting with SGB members and representatives from different classes would be sufficient to present the concerns of the student community, arguing that direct interaction with such a large gathering would not be practical.

Although the administration had earlier communicated several assurances, including additional buses, faster reimbursement of student club expenses and extended library hours during examinations, students remained dissatisfied with the response and insisted on a direct discussion with the director.