Two students on hunger strike at Agra University hospitalised

AGRA

: As the protest of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University students, mostly belonging to the National Student Union of India (NSUI) and Samajwadi Chatra Sabha (SCS) entered the eleventh day on Friday, two of the agitators on

hunger strike

had to be hospitalized. The condition of the other two students are on a steady decline. However, the university hasn’t yet accepted the protesters’ demand for student union polls.

Deepak Sharma, former district president of NSUI said, “As per the norms, the student union election should have taken place within two months after starting of the new session. But even after much delay, vice chancellor Arvind Kumar Dixit is not interested in conducting the elections.”

Rishab Sikarwar, an NSUI worker on hunger strike said, “Six months have passed since the new session started but the university administration is still not ready to conduct student union elections for no valid reason. Cases have been registered against us for raising a genuine issue. We will continue protest till university declares dates for the student union elections and the cases that have been registered against students are taken back. ”

KK Yadav, an SCS worker on hunger strike said, “Vice chancellor Arvind Kumar Dixit got a false case registered to muzzle the voice of students. We are protesting for our legitimate right to have a student union election. We will continue with it, even if we get jailed.”

Meanwhile, a group of mass communication students from the varsity’s KM Institute of Hindi Studies and Linguistics marched to the VC secretariat and placed posters demanding adequate number of qualified teachers, laboratory facilities etc.

PG student of mass communication, Yachna Sharma said, “We had gone to raise our demand with VC. But he was not in the office. We are suffering lack of qualified teachers, laboratory facility, proper library etc. We want VC to cognizance of our issues and ensure time bound action”.

Another student Neha Jain said, “We are not getting any skill training. No seminars are being conducted. There is no arrangement of placement assistance. We had earlier raised our demand with registrar but he just received our complaint letter and took no action”.