Three Jawaharlal Nehru University students’ union office-bearers and 14 other students entered the fifth day of an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday. They oppose restrictions on gatherings and are pressing for campus infrastructure improvements.
The students oppose provisions in the Chief Proctor Manual that prescribe stringent penalties for gatherings and protests. Four JNUSU office-bearers were rusticated for two semesters in February. Three of them are taking part in the fast alongside 14 students.
JNUSU general secretary Sunil Yadav told The Hindu that demands include repairing deteriorating campus infrastructure, restoring the university’s internal entrance examination system instead of centralised testing, and revoking the February rustication notices. Students also want hostel upgrades, more library seating, working lifts, repaired campus roads, renovated stadiums and gender-neutral washrooms.
The union renewed concerns about campus conditions after reporting in September that a ceiling fan had fallen in a hostel room. Yadav said the centralised entrance tests cause delays.
Students alleged that the university health centre was not monitoring the health of three rusticated office-bearers, so private doctors were checking them. The other hunger strikers were receiving regular check-ups, with some recording low blood sugar levels. The administration had not responded to their demands by publication time.