By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 4 Sept 2015: An indefinite hunger strike staged by the agitating students of Jamia Hamdard reached its fifth day on Friday, 4 September, with growing number of students from across Indian states extending their support to the Hamdard Students Democratic Forum (HSDF), the university student body that initiated the strike. The strike intensified when HSDF President Mufti Iftikhar Ahmad and a few other students fell ill owing to the hunger strike on 1 September night and were admitted to Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). In view of Mufti Iftikhar’s condition, doctors reportedly kept him under observation for 24 hours.
Hamdard students began the strike on 31 August against the university authorities in the face of several issues including allotment of hostels and fee hikes and suspension of a number of students on charges of damaging university properties.
In the face of a long-running protest by the Hamdard students, the university administration began negotiating with HSDF on 6 May, 2015 by organizing a committee and reached an agreement, which the students allege the administration breached later.
“In the agreement, it was mentioned that disciplinary action for University property damage will be held against the student in a way that the career of students will not be affected. But the Vice Chancellor (VC) did not care about the agreement, and in his own dictatorial manner, suspended many students. The damage of the university property happened because of the ignorance of the registrar to listen to the students’ problems. The irritated students threw their anger on the university property. The registrar is also responsible for the same. Why there has been no enquiry against this ignorance of the registrar, and only students were punished?” infuriated students said while demanding the JH administration to lift suspension of the students and compensate them.
According to the students, the hunger strike is gaining huge support from the students, university’s employees and female students.
In face of the massive protest, the authorities finally began negotiating with the students yesterday, on 3 September, and urged them to break the strike, but Mufti refused. “What is the guarantee that the VC and the registrar will abide by the agreement as they were the ones who issued the order against the previous agreement with HSDF by suspending innocent students and imposing heavy fines on them. They are playing with the career of students,” said Mufti.
Meanwhile, student leaders such as Anshu, a Patna University student leader and Mulayam Singh, All India Student Federation leader from the Jawaharlal Nehru University extended their unequivocal support to the HSDF. Ameeque Jamei, Delhi State general secretary of Tanzeem-e-Insaf, and Qari Mohd Arif, Delhi president of the Jamiat Ulma-i-Hind, also reportedly visited the Hamdard campus and expressed their solidarity with the students.
