The Hindu : New Delhi News : JNU students protest stay order

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Tuesday, Nov 04, 2008
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New Delhi

JNU students protest stay order

Staff Reporter

‘Largest students’ gathering in Delhi against curbing of their democratic rights’

— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

JNU students protesting at India Gate in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: On the day originally listed for polling for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union election that was stayed by the Supreme Court recently, the JNU student community boycotted classes and formed a human chain at India Gate on Monday.

Intensifying its agitation against the court stay order and in defence of the JNUSU election model, students gathered near the India Gate lawns to form a human chain. They were detained by the police and taken to the Parliament Street police station and released later.

“This turned out to be the first and the largest students’ gathering in the heart of the Capital against the curbing of students’ democratic rights. We were taken to the police station, but there also the protest continued in the form of a mass meeting and sloganeering,” said JNUSU president Sandeep Singh.

The joint struggle committee of JNU had issued a call for a university strike and formation of a human chain.

Former JNU students and now leaders of different political parties, Sitaram Yechury and Ashok Tanwar, came to the police station to express their solidarity.

“Mr. Yechury said as a former JNUSU president he expressed solidarity with us in our struggle. Earlier in the day, no classes were held and we observed a complete strike on the campus,” said Roshan Kishore, an SFI activist.

A delegation of students went to the office of the Chief Justice of India to seek an appointment with him.

A delegation of the National Students’ Union of India met Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi this past weekend.“They said they will look into the matter and see what can be done.We suggested setting up a committee to review the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations,” said Harshvardhan Shyam, a NSUI activist.

A joint solidarity public meeting was organised on the campus on Sunday night, which was addressed by the national leadership of different students’ organisations.

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