Azim Premji University students slam varsity for denying student Abhijit Shinde's participation in protests
The protest at Azim Premji University (APU) has been ongoing for several weeks, with students demanding a waiver of the shuttle fees that have been imposed on first-year postgraduate students who live off campus. The students have now hit out at the management for alleging that Abhijit Shinde, the student who had collapsed and passed away last week, was not part of the protest.
The university's decision to charge this fee has been met with strong opposition and students have been calling for a change in policy. The hunger strike that began on February 22 was an escalation of these protests, as students sought to put pressure on the university to reconsider its stance, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
The tragic death of Abhijit Shinde on February 24 who collapsed while taking part in a group performance during a college festival, has further complicated the situation. While the university has denied that Shinde was part of the protest after February 22, students have presented photographic evidence that suggests otherwise. The students also allege that his death has been caused because the management failed to recognise the demands of the students. The university, however, said in a state that Shinde was not part of the protests after February 22. He had left the protest on the evening of February 22, which means on February 23 and 24, he was not in the protest being observed by a small group of students, they said. This has led to a sense of mistrust between the students and the university, as students feel that their concerns are not being taken seriously, stated The New Indian Express report.
The situation at APU highlights the tensions that can arise between students and university management when there are disagreements over policy. The university has come under fire from the students for denying that Shinde participated in the demonstrations. Shinde reportedly appears in photos provided by the students participating in a protest meeting on February 24. They did, however, affirm that he was not a participant in the hunger strike, as reported by The New Indian Express.
