On hunger strike for the past 11 days, Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) early on Monday morning after his sugar, sodium and potassium levels fell significantly.
“He was forced to discontinue the hunger strike owing to acutely failing health. He had severe cramps on Sunday evening due to low sodium-potassium levels, following which he was taken to AIIMS after midnight,” a JNU Students’ Union statement said.
So far, seven students, including JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, have withdrawn from the strike owing to failing health. Mr. Kumar, Mr. Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested in February and charged with sedition over an event on Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
While Mr. Kumar has been slapped with a penalty of Rs.10,000, Mr. Khalid, Mr. Bhattacharya and Kashmiri student Mujeeb Gatoo have been rusticated for varying durations. Punishments including fine and rustication from hostels have been imposed on other students too.
Meanwhile, the JNU administration has constituted a committee to look into the hunger strike and persuade the protestors to opt for a dialogue instead. The move comes after the authorities called the strike “unlawful” and asked the students to call it off.
Sixteen students have been on indefinite hunger strike and many others on relay strike for the past 12 days in protest against the punishments meted out to them by the administration over the February 9 incident on campus. Members of JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) also joined the relay strike from May 7 to raise their concerns against the administration.
After it issued a notice to the protesting students nearly a week ago, the administration on Monday issued a fresh notice appealing to the students to “end their strike” and “come forward to hold a discussion of their demands”.
“The Vice-Chancellor has decided to form a team comprising Rector-1, Rector-II, Dean of Students and Registrar to discuss issues related to students and teachers who have been on hunger strike,” said a circular issued by the JNU Public Relations Officer.
“Students and teachers are urged to end the hunger strike immediately due to worsening weather conditions and deteriorating health of students. Solutions can only be found through peaceful dialogue and discussion, and not through measures that can also have a long-term impact on health and adversely affect academic life on campus,” the circular added.
The students have, however, not arrived on any conclusion so far. The last time they met the V-C, the group of Left-leaning students had called the meeting disappointing. In contrast, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members, who were also on a hunger strike, had called off the strike saying the V-C had promised to look into their issues.