JNU students who have been punished by the university in connection with the controversial February 9 event today began an indefinite hunger strike to demand revocation of punitive action.
JNU Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya along with other students started the hunger strike at night and said they reject the findings and recommendations of the high-level inquiry committee that probed the incident.
Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban Bhattachayra were arrested on the charge of sedition in February in connection with an event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
They are out on bail now.
“We have been maintaining right from the beginning that we have no faith in the probe committee. We are all sitting on hunger strike against the arbitrary punishments given to us.
The inquiry was a sham and students have rejected it in our general body meeting. We will not abide by the punishment given to us,” JNUSU General Secretary Rama Naga said.
The students took out a march late night from Ganga Dhaba to administration block against the action. While Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000 on grounds of “indiscipline and misconduct”,
ABVP member Saurabh Sharma, who was complainant in the case lodged over the event, has also been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000 for blocking traffic.
Five members of ABVP have been sitting on hunger strike since yesterday, alleging that the university is “criminalising” patriotism.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)