Even as the indefinite hunger strike against an unjust report of the High Level Committee (HLEC) entered its fourth day, and media attention by the ‘mainstream diminished completely, the spirit of the protesting students was undiminished. JNUTA, the teachers association will join the striking students in a mass hunger strike on May 3.
Sabrangindia had reported on the JNUTA decision on April 29.
On Friday night, April 29, a screening of Nakul Sawhney’s film “ Muzaffarnagar Baqi Hai’ took place on the campus. The screening was symbolic as this film has become iconic. It is the film that this Modi administration and its wings –the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have reacted against, revealing as it does the Sangh Parivar’s sinister politics in stoking the flames of hatred.
Muzaffar Nagar Baqi hai was screened at Freedom Square (Admin Block) JNU where JNUSU has sat on an indefinite hunger strike. It was screened as a mark of protest against the Show cause notice served to Umar Khalid and Anirbhan Bhattacharya for screening same movie last year at Godavari Dhaba JNU.
Sabrangindia has been reporting regularly on the government-backed high-handedness against students at JNU.
A series of cultural programmes, revolutionary music, theatre and performances have been planned every evening this week at the Freedom Square to keep morales high
This Diary written by one of the fasting students really says it all.
While much of the mainstream media has remained suspiciously subdued after this renewed attack on students –unlike the coverage given in February-March this year, the prestigious Economic and Political Weekly has written a sharp editorial against the government's misconduct. Titled New Tryst with Freedom the comment piece says,"
"In a deplorable, if not entirely unexpected, move the administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has taken strong disciplinary actions against students it had identified for alleged indiscipline and for breaking university rules. Students have been fined from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000 and some have been rusticated for different lengths of time; one student has been declared out of bounds from the campus for five years. These are unprecedentedly harsh measures. The only time similar measures were taken was in 1983; unlike then there was no violence from the students this time.
Fasting students have been receiving support from several mass movements and despite the time of the year when examinations are on, protests have bene planned –including hunger fasts –in cities like Mumbai, Pune and others.
Letter from the Narmada Bachao Andolan
A sympathetic Facebook Post put out this image of Gandhi's Fast decades ago and advised the fasting students of JNU to have lots of "nimbu paani" (lemon water)
The students fasting are
Students participating in the indefinite hunger-strike.
-Kanhaiya Kumar, JNUSU President
-Rama Naga, General Secretary, JNUSU
-Umar Khalid
-Shweta Raj
-Chintu Kumari
-Anant Prakash Narayan
-Saborni Ahmed
-Aqsa Agha
-Nitisha Kholkar
-K. Feyaz Ahmed
-Pratim Ghoshal
-Anand
-Pankhuri Zaheer
-Samanth Singh
-Sunaina
-G. Suresh
-Birendra
-Awadesh
-Sanjeev
-Parthipan
Indefinite Hunger Strike, Day 1.
Stand by these students
#StandWithJNU
#FightBackJNU
#NoMoreRohiths
Images From JNU
But the Posters still get made every day
