Jharkhand varsity staff call off strike after student violence

“This employees’ stir has deprived many a student from taking admission in Delhi and Mumbai colleges,” said NSUI’s Rakesh Kumar, one of the protesting students on campus.

The violence was perpetrated mainly by students belonging to All Jharkhand Students’ Union and the NSUI, a wing of the Congress Party, an ally of the ruling UPA in Jharkhand. No action was taken against the rampaging students by the district authorities and the police. “Because the troubleshooters belonged to the ruling party, the police preferred to look the other way,” said Ram Nagina Singh, a lawyer.

On inquiring about the damage, RU’s Vice-Chancellor A A Khan said, “The loss was not much as records remained safe.” Soon after violence erupted on the campus, the Jharkhand State University Colleges’ Employees Sangh called off its month-long strike. Shivaji Tiwari, secretary, employees’ Sangh, defended the decision: “Now we will wait for the government to fulfill its promise.”

For the past two months, class III and IV employees of three universities — RU, Sidhu Kano University and Vinoba Bhave University in the state — are on strike, demanding Central pay scale which the state government is already paying to university teachers since January 1,1996.

“When the teachers can be paid according to the Central pay scale, why the government is discriminating against us,” argued Shivaji Tiwari, secretary, Jharkhand State University Colleges’ Employees Sangh.

Earlier, State Minister (Human Resources) Bandhu Tirkey had agreed to meet the employees’ demand by August 2. “After examining the merit of their demand, we assured them that the government will meet it,” said Tirkey.

But the Sangh did not end the strike and sought a notification by the state Government. On this Tirkey threatened the Sangh leaders on Sunday to resume duty or face the music. “No work, no pay from August 6,” he had said.