Facing homelessness, DU students to protest with hunger -Governance Now

Facing homelessness, DU students to protest with hunger

The University Community for Democracy will protest on the behalf of 1200 students who have been evicted from DU hostels for CWG guests

Jasleen Kaur | August 12, 2010

Members of University Community for Democracy sitting on hunger strike outside Arts Faculty in North Campus

Students and teachers of the Delhi University are protesting against the eviction of students from the hostels in the wake of Commonwealth Games. Members of the University Community for Democracy, a group of students, teachers and former students of the university, have started relay hunger strike from Thursday onwards. Each day there will be five people who will be on a hunger strike.

The forum, which started as an online discussions, was formed a month ago with an immediate concern for some 1200 students who have been evicted to accommodate guests during the games. It now demands that authorities should take the responsibility of the evicted students.

Bonojit Hussain, a former DU student and member of the forum says, "The university is being held hostage to the CWG. No college has done much for these students. The Daulat Ram is saying that they are providing accomodationg to students, but actually they have arbitarily selected 15-20 students and has asked them to stay in the seminar room. Is this the kind of alternatice accomodation you will provide to your students."

Students who have been evicted are facing lot of problem in finding accomodation as the rents in the neighbouring areas like Kamla Nagar, Roop Nagar, Shakti Nagar as rents have gone up to three times. The forum has also written to National Commission for Women higlighting the problems faced by the female students in finding accomodation.

It is also against the violations of labour rights in the university. Prof Mukul Manglik, a lecturer with the Ramjas College is also part of the forum. He says, "The University reflects how democratic a society is. It should be setting standards but actually at all the construction sites in the campus, there is a complete violation of human rights."

He adds that because the games are so close most of the workers are working for 14 hours a day but are not being given extra money for that.
The forum plans to continue their protest and will ask the university to to regulate the rents till all the hostels are made.

Comments

Other News

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations. A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said. He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.