KANPUR, Aug. 21 -- Hundreds of students of the Government Engineering College in Kannauj's Tirwa staged a protest on Thursday, alleging that their scholarships had not been paid for the past five months and demanding a written assurance on the release of the pending funds, officials said. Carrying the national flag and posters, the students gathered outside the college and alleged that repeated visits to the college administration, district officials, the social welfare department, the local MLA and the district magistrate had yielded only assurances. Around 710 students are enrolled at the college. Besides the scholarship issue, the protesters demanded a seven-member student helpdesk to address grievances and prevent alleged harassment on the campus. On being informed about the protest, joint magistrate Vaishali, Tirwa circle officer Kulveer Singh and Tehsildar Avneesh Kumar reached the college with police personnel. Vaishali held talks with college director Manoj Shukla and the protesting students. After discussions, the students ended their agitation following an assurance that the pending scholarship amount would be released at the earliest. (With agency inputs)...