Atreya Ayurvedic College in Doddaballapura Seized Over Unpaid Bank Loans; Students Launch Protest

A major crisis has erupted at the Atreya Ayurvedic Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre located near Kodigehalli in Doddaballapura taluk of Bengaluru Rural district, after the institution was seized by bank authorities over unpaid loan defaults. City Union Bank took possession of the property and locked down the campus, bringing all academic and medical activities to a complete standstill for the past two months. The sudden closure has thrown the future of over 400 enrolled students into deep uncertainty. Students and parents stated that despite two months of lockdown, the college management failed to provide any clear resolution, holding only brief online sessions for an hour a day while insisting on full fee payments. Facing a bleak academic outlook, frustrated medical students, along with members of local Kannada organisations including the Kannadigara Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, initiated an indefinite day-and-night protest in front of the Bengaluru Rural District Collectorate in Devanahalli. Protesters are demanding immediate government intervention to unlock the campus or reallocate affected students to alternative ayurvedic colleges across the state so that their education is not jeopardised. For residents and students in Doddaballapura taluk, the incident underscores the severe administrative and financial risks facing private professional institutes in the region, calling for stricter regulatory oversight to safeguard student welfare.