Following the suicide of Aishwarya Reddy, a II Year BSc Physics student of Lady Sri Ram College for Women, the college's Students' Union has proposed to set up a fundraiser on the online crowdfunding platform Milaap to help the student's family. The General Body Meeting, convened by the Students' Union General secretary Unnimaya was held on Tuesday.
Aishwarya's suicide note indicated that she took her life owing to extreme poverty and worsening conditions during the lockdown. She was also under pressure to vacate her college hostel, find alternate housing, and pay for an internet connection to attend her classes online. The minutes of the GBM said that the students have also asked the administration to set up a separate fundraiser for students suffering from financial struggles. "Separate scholarships should be also made available on the sole basis of need and not merit," read a pointer.
Along with that, the students have also asked the administration to revoke the current hostel policy, which mandates the students to vacate their hostel rooms after the first year. They have also demanded the resignation of the college's principal Suman Sharma.
Following the GBM, the SFI unit of LSR has decided to conduct an online protest on Twitter with #JusticeForAishwaryaReddy. The GBM had decided to conduct protest offline and online (on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and involve other student and teacher bodies.
