After 24 hours of hunger strike, JNU Teachers join students to oppose VC

On the second day, March 20, of the hunger strike by the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Students' Union, the protesting students were joined by the university's Teachers' Association. Expressing solidarity with the students and supporting their cause, the teachers also called for a day-long strike on Wednesday. 

"The JNUTA is deeply dismayed by the insensitive attitude of the JNU administration towards the teachers and students of this university. We are appalled by the toxic combination of authoritarianism, lawlessness and antipathy to social justice that propels the current JNU administration, such that it is acting against the very mandate of the JNU Act," the teachers said in a release. Later, on Wednesday morning, 16 teachers joined the protesting students at the university's Sabarmati Dhaba. 

The JNU Students' Union launched an indefinite hunger strike on March 19, against the university's  'anti-student' policies. "The issues raised by the students has a lot to do with the ongoing problems in the university for the past four years and changes in the Higher Education policies nationally," says Atul Sood, President, JNUTA. "Therefore, we (JNUTA) will continue to support them to the best of our abilities," he adds.

He also expressed his disappointment towards the university for not taking care of the students' well being. "The university is not looking after the health of the students," says Sood. "It is the second day of the strike and it is quite challenging, considering that summer has also begun. We're looking forward to the administration addressing the issues." But at the same time, Sood notes that the Vice-Chancellor and the administration never meet the students or the faculty or have a discussion with them. "When I was elected as the JNUTA President in November, I'd written a letter to the VC, inviting him for a cup of tea to introduce my team. He didn't even respond to that. We've repeatedly submitted memorandums which were never acknowledged. We only got replies in the form of notices," he adds.