Students strike in Assam University enters 10th day

The indefinite hungerstrike by students of Assam University here over the rustication of a research scholar entered the 10th day on Wednesday.The students under the aegis of the Assam University Students' Union are on hunger strike since February 10 with a host of demands, including withdrawal of rustication order of Milan Das, withdrawal of FIR against him and assurance of no action against the agitating students.Assam University is a Central University.With the students sitting in front of the main gate and not allowing anyone to enter the campus, including the Vice-Chancellor and office staff, the functioning of the varsity has come to a standstill.The Executive Council meeting of the Central university on Tuesday was held outside the campus at Radhamadhab college due to the agitation.The meeting which continued till late Tuesday night, failed to arrive at a decision over a letter written by Das, a research scholar of the Ecology and Environmental Sciences department."As the Das neither apologised nor assured of not repeating the mistakes, the EC did not accept it. It decided to forward the letter to advocates for taking legal opinion on it," an official source told PTI.However, AU Registrar (In-Charge) P K Nath said, "he is hopeful of finding a solution to the impasse in the next few days."A senior official had earlier said the EC was ready to examine the matter provided an application was made by the research scholar requesting a review of the order and an apology while assuring not to repeat such acts in future.The Assam University Students' Union (AUSU) president Biswarup Bhattacharjee said Das has not done anything wrong and nothing more could be written in the letter."Whatever he had done, it was for the greater interest of the student community. So, there is no question of apology or compromise. We will end our agitation only after the authority withdraws the rustication order," he added.The protesting students alleged that action was taken against Das because of his active involvement in various agitational programmes exposing irregularities in the campus.AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dilip Chandra Nath on Tuesday said the scheduled convocation of the varsity on March 1 has been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing agitation.Already, nine striking students were admitted in hospital after falling ill and they have been released with improvement in their conditions.A tripartite meeting between district administration, university authority and students' union on Monday failed to end the impasse.Das was rusticated on February 8 for two years and barred him from entering the campus on seven counts, including causing threats to government servants, creating hindrance to office work, damaging varsity properties and insulting the VC.The university administration also lodged an FIR against him on the same charges.Das is the president of the Assam University Research Scholars' Forum and former president of AUSU.The agitating students alleged that the university authorities did not issue any show-cause notice to Das before rusticating him.

Students strike in Assam University enters 10th day

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