"JNU informed parents that they refused treatment": VC after two students fall ill during hunger strike

Today, Monday, August 19, two Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students participating in an ongoing indefinite hunger strike on the campus were admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). This was after falling ill but they refused treatment to continue their protest, officials said, as stated in a report by PTI.

The Health Centre of the JNU referred the students to the AIIMS Delhi after their health deteriorated owing to the hunger strike.

The strike entered its eighth day, today, with students protesting against the purported unresponsive attitude of the administration over their charter of demands since August 11.

"The two students have signed a document of leave against medical advice (LAMA) and refused to get treatment. We had referred them to AIIMS after assessing their health condition," said Fouzia Firdous Ozair, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of JNU while speaking to PTI.

When contacted over the matter, JNU Vice-chancellor Santishree D Pandit said, "They have taken responsibility, refused treatment and signed the LAMA document. So the JNU administration has informed their parents that, as adults, they have refused medical treatment."

The protesting students of JNU have been demanding an increase in the merit-cum-means (MCM) scholarship to at least Rs 5,000, the opening of Barak Hostel, which has remained non-operational since its inauguration in February, and the revocation of the Chief Proctor's Office (CPO) manual which penalises protests on campus with fines up to Rs 20,000.

Furthermore, their demands also include the reinstatement of the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), and the withdrawal of proctorial inquiries initiated against students protesting for water and gender justice issues.