KOLKATA:
JU continued to simmer for the fifth day in a row on Sunday as 20 members of the students’ union continued their hunger-strike and hundreds sat around in support, chanting slogans and voicing their protest against the authorities’ decision to scrap the entrance test for admission to some undergraduate arts courses.
“Till the authorities listen to our demands, we will continue the strike. We are not asking for something unjust or undemocratic. The cause we are fighting for will ultimately do good to the university, and that is all we want. As of now, the strike shall continue,” said Dwaipayan Choudhury, a second-year postgraduate student of international relations, who is on fasting.
To ensure none of the students fall sick, the university had ensured enough supply of mineral water, timely checkups of all 20 participants and kept an ambulance on standby. Registrar Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya also came to meet the students in the morning and requested them to lift the strike, but they refused.
“We have already sent a report — a sequence of events that led to the current stalemate at the university — to the governor. We have even sent a forwarding letter that lists the students’ demands.... The moment we get an order or advice from the governor, we will call an emergency Executive Council meeting to discuss the demands of the students,” said Bhattacharya.
The students, who had earlier set an ultimatum to officials (Sunday afternoon) to meet their demands, said they were upset with what the registrar had to say, but iterated they were mentally prepared to continue the hunger-strike.
With no major development in the day, the students killed their time playing cards, strumming guitars, singing songs, occasionally chanting slogans and sleeping and chatting outside the administrative building. A medical team from KPC Medical College and Hospital arrived in the afternoon to monitor the health of the students on hunger-strike. “We have been drinking water to keep us hydrated, as advised by doctors,” said an agitator.
Some of the students were also heard occasionally making phone calls to parents saying they could not come home at night since that was “against” the hunger-strike rules. “Our parents are extremely cooperative. They know we are safe here and that we have great friends to watch our back,” said another strike participant.
They also found support from students of other institutions: a section of students from Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, Presidency University and even some from JNU in Delhi visited the campus to meet them in a show of solidarity.
JU has been on the boil since last Wednesday, when the authorities decided that admission to six undergraduate arts courses would be solely on the basis of Class XII scores, and scrapped the entrance test that has been the practice for long.
The students found support even from a section of teachers, many of whom openly came out in their support and voiced their dislike for the new arrangement, deciding not to help in the admission process. “Most of the teachers of the IR department have signed a letter to the VC informing him that they believe the admission test conducted by the department remains the best alternative in the interests of the university and the department,” said Imankalyan Lahiri, an IR department professor. “Until we receive clear written communication from the university authority regarding the involvement of the faculty members in the admission process as legal, and not dependent on the whims of individuals, we shall desist from participating in the admission process,” he added.
Students on hunger strike