Minister appeals to students to lift hunger strike

West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee today met all stake holders in the Jadvapur University unrest and appealed to the students to withdraw their hungerstrike
The students, however, remained firm on their stir.
Eleven students of different departments of the university have been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike inside the campus since Monday night with a five-point charter of demands including resignation of the VC.
"Today I met all the stake holders including the Vice Chancellor Abhijit Chakraborti, Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) and the students. I have taken note about their views. Hope the unrest will end soon. I appeal to the students to withdraw their strike," Chatterjee told reporters.

"I feel the students are neither adamant nor very flexible. We'll keep on persuading them. They are like our children,"Chatterjee said.
Earlier in the day, JU Vice-Chancellor Abhijit Chakaraborti met Chatterjee and communicated his views on the ongoing student unrest.

"I think the students should withdraw their strike and concentrate on their studies as it is a important juncture of their career," Chakraborti said.
The students alleged that the VC had sent police to the houses of agitating students and they had threatened their family members to ask the students to withdraw the hunger strike yesterday.
The students had gheraoed the VC, registrar and others on the intervening night of September 16 and 17 demanding a fresh probe panel to investigate the alleged sexual harassment of a girl student inside the campus on August 28.

The VC had said he feared for his life and called the police to rescue him in the night.