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The Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union's (JNUSU) indefinite strike entered its tenth day.
According to a statement issued by the union, the protestors' health is deteriorating and Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit visited the protest site this morning, August 21.
Giving details about this, JNUSU President Dhananjay, who reportedly developed liver problems since his involvement in the ongoing strike, said, "The VC visited us around 8.45 am while we were asleep. She waited for 10 minutes and did not agree to any of our demands. Therefore, we will continue our strike and seek a formal appointment to discuss the matter further."
The VC reportedly visited the protest site along with the Dean of Students Affairs and Chief Medical Officier. In the videos shared with EdexLive, the VC was seen urging the students who were protesting to break their fast, claiming that she was doing whatever was within her power to remedy the situation.
As per JNUSU, the students on hunger strike have spent over 213 hours without food. As the protest entered its tenth day, all the protesting students have developed severe health issues, extreme weakness and other ailments.
Two students Ranvijay and Nitish were advised by doctors to end their strike, while two students Pushpraj and Shubham were admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on August 18 due to worsened health conditions. Two more students Gagan and Istekhar developed rashes and started losing weight respectively.
Demands of the students
The hunger strike was launched demanding:
- An increase in the merit-cum-means (MCM) scholarship from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000
- Increasing Non-Net fellowship to Rs 20,000 to help students manage the cost of living
- Opening of Barak Hostel, which has remained non-operational since its inauguration in February
- Reinstate the JNU Entrance Examination (JNUEE), the university-level entrance examination
- Revocation of the Chief Proctor's Office (CPO) manual which penalises protests on campus with fines up to Rs 20,000
- Reduction of Viva Voce weightage to 10-15% is also sought to combat discrimination against marginalised students in PhD admissions
- Reinstatement of the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH)
- Withdrawal of proctorial inquiries initiated against students protesting for water and gender justice issues and others.
While discussing these issues with the vice-chancellor on her visit, as per Dhananjay, the VC said that there is a "lack of funds".
The statement released by the union read, "On issues of increasing MCM, non-NET fellowship, reinstating fellowship for MTech and MPH, and opening of Barak Hostel, the VC repeated her favorite line about having no money. On issues of reinstating GSCASH, reducing viva voce weightage, reinstating deprivation points, and revoking the CPO manual, she said that she cannot do anything as everything has been legally mandated!"
Post VC's visit, the union is now demanding a formal appointment with the vice-chancellor to discuss the demands.
Two-day strike
Meanwhile, with no redressal to their demands, and no concrete assurance from the vice-chancellor, the students have given a call for a two-day university strike.
"With demands of increasing overall funding to higher education, the JNUSU has called for a Long March to the Ministry of Education on 23rd August, along with a 2-day University Strike," it read.
Criticising the negligence and apathy of the administration, the union has urged the student community to join the march and observe the strike to support their demands for the well-being of the students.
