I, Qasim Masumi student of JNU MPhil first year am sitting on an indefinite hunger strike just to talk to our Vice Chancellor, because he is not ready since the last three years, to listen or talk to the students. I want to say to our Vice Chancellor(VC) that he could not destroy our JNU further; as we have researched that our VC can do no good to our university. He was sent here with an agenda to destroy the university in which he is doing a good job, but now is the time, when we fight back against him.
We, the students who are sitting on this hunger strike are putting our lives on stake to save higher education for the present and future generations of students. JNU VC shows no response towards the demands of the students. The students, who are sitting on a strike since the last 8 days have poor health conditions. Aishe Ghosh, SIS Convene, is suffering from a low BP, low sugar level and irregular heart beat. She was taken to the hospital several times. Kriti Roy, SSS Convener fainted twice during the hunger strike. Other hunger strikers were suffering from Jaundice and Hepatitis B, but our Vice-Chancellor never bothered to show any concern, and did not even meet us once.
On the day of Holi when the hunger strikers tried to speak to the VC at his residence where he was playing holi with other high level administrative officers of JNU, the VC asked the hunger strikers to eat sweets and when the hunger strikers reminded him regarding their strike, the VC shamelessly asked them to eat and leave. This is how a hunger strike is being dealt in JNU.
In this scenario, JNU’s struggles have to remain as an important event for higher education in India. It is because of JNU’s model of affordable and quality education, deprivation points, and residential facilities, students from all across the country and from diverse backgrounds come to JNU to contribute to the secular and scientific knowledge.
Since the last five years, students across the nation are facing innumerable attacks on higher education in India. Right from the fund cut and push towards privatization of higher education to muzzling of dissent in educational spaces, the BJP government has set a new low for attacks to dismantle quality higher education and research in the country.
The present government wants to make higher education accessible only to the ruling class. Also, the government wants to destroy public-funded higher education. So this is the reason why they are keen to destroy JNU’s unique admission policy with introduction of online MCQ entrance examination, abolishing BA second year lateral entry, removing the link between M.Phil and PhD, abolishing deprivation points, and introducing exclusive admission policy for MBA with exorbitant fees structure.
The insensitive behavior which is shown by the JNU VC, who has proved to be just a puppet of the BJP government for the last three years is highly unacceptable. The VC is putting our lives in jeopardy by not showing any concern whatsoever for the students whose conditions have been getting worse with every passing moment.
We, the students will fight together and set our voyage for a new dawn where all aspiring students across the nation will be welcomed in higher education at JNU, with their higher vibrant and diversified ideas.
Let this battle against fascism be won.