NEW DELHI, January 18: Battle lines are being drawn on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus with one section of the students union deciding to go on a three-day strike from Tuesday if their demands are not met, while another section has opposed it. "Yesterday we had an informal meeting of the union and it was decided to go on a three-day strike from Tuesday and some members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) will sit on an indefinite hunger strike before the Vice Chancellor's office," says Vijoo Krishnan, JNUSU, Vice President.However, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) has come out openly against the move. "It is not a students agitation...Batti Lal has been rusticated and is not a student anymore, so how can he call a University General Body Meeting (UGBM)?" asked Govind Mishra, Former Vice President of JNUSU.
The university has been tense for the past few days, following the rustication of Batti Lal Bairwa, the President of JNUSU along with another Students
Federation of India (SFI) activist, Manoj Purohit, on charges of beating a university employee and misuse of the university ambulance.
The students had earlier gheraoed the VC, following which there was heavy police deployment near the VC's residence and the campus has had a spate of torch light processions and meetings.
However ABVP activists dub the agitation a ploy by Batti Lal and the SFI to divert the attention of the students from his misdeeds.
The division amongst the students seems apparent before the crucial university general body meeting (UGBM) gets underway on Monday. On top of the agenda will be the demand that the rustication of JNUSU president Batti Lal Bairwa and another student, Manoj Purohit be taken back.
Most student groups on campus, led by Students Federation of India (SFI), All India Students Federation (AISF), All India Students Association (AISA), Free Thinkers, Bahujan Samaj Front and Chattra Samata have supported the JNUSU's move, the ABVP has opposed to it.
Allegations
and counter allegations have already been aired. "Every organisation on the Campus barring the ABVP is supporting us on this issue, we are waging a joint fight against arbitrary ways of JNU administration, ABVP is acting in league with the administration," says Krishnan. According to JNUSU office bearers while other members were trying to mobilise the students the ABVP toeing the line of the JNU administration.
Meanwhile the JNU teachers association has also come out openly in favour of agitating students. A joint meeting of teachers, students, karamcharis took place today on the campus.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
