Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha member John Brittas has written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking urgent intervention over the indefinite hunger strike of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) representatives and other students over a charter of 13 demands.
The demands include revoking the rustication of JNUSU office bearers, reinstating the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment and the JNU entrance exam. The strike entered its 16th day on Monday.
“The failure of the university administration to address the genuine and longstanding concerns of the student community has led to this continuing protest and contributed to the deteriorating health of the participating students,” said Brittas in the letter dated October 18 (Sunday).
He asked the President, who holds the highest statutory position in the university’s governance as the visitor, to take steps to revoke the rustication orders and resolve the outstanding grievances quickly.
Brittas wrote a separate letter to the Union education minister Pralhad Joshi on the same issue.
He described the hunger strike as an extreme form of peaceful protest. He referred to the rustication and argued that keeping elected representatives off campus strikes at the working of the union. “The exclusion of elected representatives from the University directly affects the functioning of the Students’ Union and weakens the mechanism through which students collectively articulate their grievances,” he wrote.
On the Chief Proctor Office Manual, he wrote that its continued enforcement provides for exorbitant fines and stringent disciplinary measures over forms of protest and assembly. Brittas said this raises serious concerns about the space for legitimate democratic expression within the university.
Brittas cited his own student days at JNU. “During my years as a student at JNU, I too participated in the debates, discussions and democratic activities that have long been an integral part of the University’s academic life,” he wrote. He said this makes him particularly conscious of the need for an environment where students can freely question arbitrary decisions and raise concerns together.
He warned that disproportionate disciplinary measures could discourage students from raising legitimate grievances for fear of punitive action. Brittas wrote that the effects of such an atmosphere extend well beyond those directly affected. He pointed to unresolved concerns on gender justice, equal opportunity, admissions and basic campus facilities.
Brittas reminded the President of the university’s founding principles such as social justice, secularism and a democratic way of life.
In his letter to Joshi, Brittas expressed concern over the deteriorating health of the hunger strikers. He flagged what prolonged disciplinary action means for democratic participation on campus. He urged the minister to engage immediately with the university administration to safeguard student welfare and secure an expeditious resolution.