JNU Students Prolong Hunger Strike Amid Growing Support

Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi continued their hunger strike for the 12th day, boycotting classes in protest of various issues. Only a small section attended classes, particularly in the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies. The strike, led by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union, will continue until Friday, followed by a march to the Ministry of Education. The demands include increased scholarships and lifting bans on protests.

Students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi observed a complete university strike on Thursday, marking the 12th day of their ongoing hunger strike. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU), which is spearheading the protest, saw scores of students boycott classes to pressure university administration on various unresolved issues.

Attendance was seen only in a few schools, primarily the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies (SSIS), while classes across the rest of the campus remained suspended. Rajeshwar Kant Dubey, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) JNU unit, stated that their organization did not participate in the strike. However, the RSS-affiliated student body has been sitting on a separate strike for the past 31 days related to various student issues.

The JNUSU has called for the strike to continue until Friday, planning a long march to the Ministry of Education. They have appealed to the ministry to intervene in the matter. The indefinite hunger strike, which began on August 11 near the Sabarmati T Point, addresses demands such as increased scholarship amounts, a caste census, lifting the ban on campus protests, and withdrawal of proctorial inquiries against protesting students.

Support for the hunger strike has come from student organizations at other educational institutions like Jamia Millia Islamia and the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. The Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit met with the protesters on Wednesday, urging them to end the strike, but the students continued and called for a march to the Ministry of Education on August 23. Deteriorating health conditions forced several students to cease their hunger strike, with two being referred to AIIMS by JNU's health center. Despite their worsening health, the two refused treatment to persist with their protest.

(With inputs from agencies.)