Baripada, May 6: Lights went off for several minutes during President Droupadi Murmu’s address at the 12th convocation of the Maharaja Shri Ramchandra Bhanjadeo University here on Saturday plunging the auditorium into darkness.
The snag at the high security programme lasted for nine minutes from 11.56 AM to 12.05 PM. It took place barely a few minutes into Murmu’s speech, but she continued as the mike system at the venue was unaffected.
The air conditioning system too worked normally.
While the President continued her speech in darkness with the light coming out of the podium, she showed her displeasure in the most graceful way possible. “The University is as much in the dark as its beauty. The power is also getting jealous of the success of the university.”
University Vice Chancellor, Professor Santosh Tripathy sought apology for the incident. He said, “IDCO had constructed the building and also repaired the generator. Though we had a dedicated generator, it didn’t work. We will inquire into the entire incident.”
