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Journalism of Courage
Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday intensified their protest demanding the restoration of students union elections on the campus. The students called for a complete class boycott on Monday,even as the hunger strike by protesters entered the 5th day.
Students gathered outside the Vice-Chancellors office in the morning,shouting slogans in support of the 14 students sitting on a hunger strike since Thursday and against the JNU administration for deliberately procrastinating the notification of election dates. Student organisations have warned that if adequate action was not taken to set up the grievance redressal committee soon,the student community will further intensify the protest.
The students also demanded that the autonomy of the election committee of the students be maintained.
While the administration said it is waiting for clearance from the Supreme Court to hold elections this month,students rejected this stand saying that the administration could have gone to court while the university took the winter break. The Supreme Court vacated the stay on December 8 and the University general body meeting (UGBM) cleared the way for elections on January 9, said Om,a Joint Struggle Committee (JSC) member.
On Monday afternoon,the students delegation requested a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor. He informed us that he will only meet one student representative. This could not be done as there are representatives from each party and no one individual can go to meet the V-C, said Zico,Vice-President of the Student Federation of India.
Meanwhile,the teachers union have also extended support to the students agitation. President of the JNU Teachers Association Professor D K Lobiyal said,The association is supporting the issue. We should have a democratic students body on campus as has been the JNU tradition. Lobiyal,however,added that teachers association did not support the class boycott and will continue holding classes even if there was a strike by the students.
The JSC has called upon the students to continue the agitation for holding JNUSU elections within a month as per the UGBM mandate. The JSC also called for a solidarity public meeting of the teachers and non-teaching staff on January 25.
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