JOIN USThe Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists went on an indefinite hunger strike on the JNU campus on Wednesday, demanding revocation of fine slapped on their leader.
A fine of Rs 10,000 was imposed on ABVP activst Saurabh Sharma. The student wing of the BJP also demanded removal of the "reprimanding remarks" made against Sharma in a report of a high-level committee which probed into the February 9 Afzal Guru controversy.
It described Sharma as a “whistleblower” and condemned imposing of fine on him in connection with the Afzal Guru row, saying the university administration failed to distinguish between “the acts of nationalists and anti-Indians”.
Sharma, who is a joint secretary of the JNU students union, questioned as to why no action was taken against Aparajita, daughter of CPI leader D Raja, accusing the university administration of buckling under pressure of leftist students’ groups and faculties of the JNU.
“We demand much harsher punishment to all the Left students who organised the anti-national event and raised anti-national slogans,” he said.
This came hours before the Left-backed student unions were gearing up to take out a protest march within the boundaries of the university campus and begin an indefinite fast unto death agitation from Wednesday night.
“We will take out a march in the campus and subsequently, we will sit on a mass hunger strike. We reject the high-level committee, its report and recommendations as it is biased. We will not leave the campus and vacate hotels until we are physically thrown out from here. We will also not pay any fine. We will fight,” Umer Khalid, who was rusticated for one semester and also slapped with a fine of Rs 20,000, told DH.
Though the atmosphere on the campus remained charged with students of all political hues vowing not to step back from their demands, the university administration remained a silent spectator.
“We have not got any response from the university administration so far. We are going ahead with our decision to hold indefinite hunger strike. There is no question of any compromise,” an All India Students Union leader said.