Former faculty of Avinashilingam University joined the protesting faculty here on Saturday. They did so as the stir entered the fifth day, and outstation students left for their homes to celebrate Diwali.

Though an attempt was made to organise peace talks on Friday, it did not yield any positive results, with the students and teachers subsequently deciding to continue the protest.

The teachers and students had reportedly demanded a written statement from the management assuring that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) would continue as the sponsoring authority of the institution and that it would continue as an an aided institution.