LUCKNOW: A day after they threatened to launch a fast-unto-death, two
Lucknow University student leaders started a
hunger strike on campus, on Monday, to protest against the university’s decision to deny them admissions to postgraduate courses over charges of indiscipline. The two protesters, Pooja Shukla and Gaurav Tripathi, were accompanied by 23 other student leaders who had been also denied admissions by the university.
While the university maintained that the two students had been denied admissions because of their indisciplined past, the students said registering their protest was a democratic right and LU could not punish them for exercising it.
LU had released results of PG entrance test on June 28 but had withheld the results of these students. “We will will continue to protest till we are granted
admission,” said Pooja Shukla, who was among the students who had waved black flags at chief minister Yogi Aditynath during an event at the campus in 2017.
Gaurav Tripathi had been denied admission for protesting against fee hike and indiscipline in hostel. “The proctor’s office had said that they would give us an explanation in writing citing the reasons why were not given an admission on Monday but it failed to do so,” Shukla added. “Anyone who appears for an entrance test and clears it is eligible for admission provided he or she doesn’t have a criminal record,” said Gaurav.
LU spokesperson NK Pandey, said, “Students who have been denied admissions were either expelled or had applied for admission illegally even after giving an undertaking to the university that they would not enrol in any of its courses in future, on the basis of which their expulsion was cancelled,” he added.
LU authorities had expelled 25 student leaders and debarred them from examination but later retracted its decision after the latter submitted an undertaking that they would seek admissions in the university’s PG courses.
Student leaders protest on LU campus on Monday