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Patiala law varsity students start hunger strike
The protest against RGNUL VC has been going on since September 22 when he was accused of ‘violating’ the privacy of girl students.
Around 42 protesting law students started an indefinite hunger strike at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) in Patiala on Sunday evening. They have been demanding action against vice chancellor Jai Shankar, accusing him of “violating” female student’s privacy during his “unannounced” visit to the girls’ hostel on September 22.
“As many as 14 days have already gone by, the VC has neither resigned nor he has been sent on leave for a fair external inquiry. Instead, the authorities of the RGNUL are out to harass the agitating students as they are not letting water coolers in the campus for two days,” said a protesting student.
The agitating students said, “If anything happens to us — in the backdrop of students on the hunger strike — authorities of RGNUL and the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court will be responsible for it.”
The protest started after VC’s alleged ‘unannounced’ visit to the girls’ hostel on September 22, which students viewed as a violation of their privacy. Female students alleged that the VC entered their hostel rooms “without prior notice, invading their privacy”. They further claimed that the VC had questioned their choice of clothing.
VC Jai Shankar, however, has denied the allegations and said that he visited the girls’ hostel along with the female hotel staff to address the complaints of overcrowding.
“We have been protesting since September 22. Nobody seems to be bothered to solve the issue. We have been compelled to start a hunger strike. Our genuine demands have been ignored, and we are being threatened by the authorities to call of the protest,” said another protesting student.
On October 1, the university had formed a two-member external committee to break the deadlock with the students. Prof (Dr) Archana Mishra, vice-chancellor of Dr BR Ambedkar National Law University, Sonepat, and Giribala Singh, president of the district consumer disputes redressal commission, Bhopal, are the panel members. But the protesting students had expressed apprehensions as they said the committee had no representation from the student body.
On September 29, the university had eased the time window for the students leaving the campus. The relaxation was allowed between 6 am and 8 pm. Previously, students were allowed entry and exit only between 4 pm and 8 pm.
Prior to that, chief minister Bhagwant Mann had spoken to the agitating students and assured them that the state government was committed to safeguarding their interests and delivering justice.
