The Central Executive Committee of SFI condemns the barbaric assault on protesting students by the Chandigrah Police and slapping of sedition charges against 52 students, for the crime of resisting an obnoxious fee hike in Panjab University. The shameful assault happened on 11th April when the students had called for a University Strike and a protest at VC’s office.

 

The Panjab University, which is considered to be one of the best in the NAAC, is facing severe financial crisis due to fund cuts. University has been forced to take the route of ‘internal resource mobilization’ in the wake of severe fund crunch. The senate of the university decided to increase the fees for the academic year 2017-18. In the B Pharma course, the fee was raised from Rs 5,080 to Rs50,000 and in MA (journalism) course, the fee was hiked from Rs5,290 to Rs 30,000. For PU’s dental course, the fees were increased from Rs86, 400 to Rs1.50 lakh. What we are witnessing in Panjab University is the bankruptcy of the neoliberal model of education.

 

Students have been protesting this ludicrous fee hike and arm twisting by the University administration and the MHRD for a while now. The protest on the 11th was one in a series of strikes, sit-ins, marches and talks with the VC which failed. In a brazen display of state power, the Chandigarh Police which comes under the Union Government, entered the University and soon started an indiscriminate round of water cannons, tear gas and lathi charge to break the protests of the students. Many students were injured in the lathicharge as well as water cannons. The protesting students were forced to take refuge in a Gurudwara situated in the University Campus. It needs to be underlined that the Congress government of the state hasn’t even condemned this steep fee hike or the police crackdown- only to show its accomplice in the entire design.

 

Entire state machinery has been used to sabotage the movement, with draconian sections being used against the student leaders. We would like to remind the Chandigarh Police that democratic movement of students will only gain strength in the face of this state assault. The CEC of SFI demands that all the draconian charges must be removed immediately.

 

We appeal all democratic sections to unite in the face of this massive commercialization of education which will snatch away education from the children of peasants and workers of not only Punjab, but also the neighbouring states of Himachal and Haryana. Student movement will seek all support from the wider democratic movement to push away this move. History of Punjab has been a history of valiant struggles by the students and Youth; and the current generation is paying true tributes to that legacy by rewriting the history of struggles.

 

 

VP Sanu (President)

Vikram Singh (General Secretary)

The Central Executive Committee of SFI condemn the attack on M Vijin, SFI Kerala state secretary, Ashitha, Kerala University Union chairperson and other students by the goondas of Vellappally Natesan self-financing Engineering college in Alappuzha. 

 

Arsh, a second-year student hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, attempted to end his life Saturday by hanging himself in the hostel room, after cutting the vein. He survived the attempt as his college mates rushed him to the hospital. Earlier, he had complained about the quality of food being served in the college canteen. It provoked the principal and Arsh was mentally harassed which forced him to think of the extreme step. The student had also written a suicide note citing the torture by the college administration. It is not the first time such harassment is being reported from the same college. The college was run by NDA leader Subhash Vasu. 

 

Protesting against the incident, SFI activists took out a march to the college today. The goondas of the college management started pelting stones at the protesters. Vijin and Ashitha were suffered from injuries at their head. SFI demands strong action against the culprits behind the torture and harassment to the student. We also demand strict and sturdy action to ensure the democratic atmosphere in self-financing colleges. SFI Central Executive Committee appeals to all democratic sections to join in the struggle against the witch-hunt on students by the self-financing colleges and the attack on SFI leaders. 

 

VP Sanu, President               Vikram Singh, General Secretary  

 

The CEC of SFI expresses its profound grief at the sudden demise of a dalit research scholar Muthu Krishnan, who was a first year MPhil student of Centre for Historical Studies, JNU. He was a student of HCU, before coming to JNU and was active in the 'Justice for Rohith' movement.

 

Muthu belonged to a working class family from Salem in Tamil Nadu and he realized his dream of getting admission in JNU through hard work and preservation. He had to do odd jobs in order to sustain himself economically, while seeing his dreams getting crushed four consecutive times.

 

Muthu Krishnan's sad demise has yet again brought to fore the tragic situation of our universities where the demographic assertion of the students from socio-economically deprived sections has met brutal backlash from the caste forces. There is no government data on the number of suicides by Dalit students. However, a compilation by Dalit groups shows that 18 Dalit students committed suicide between 2007-11.

 

NCRB data shows that more than 20 students committed suicide every day in India in the year 2014. Majority of them belong to lower income category. Caste and capital are killing students. They are forcing young lives to such an alienation where life looses its meaning. 

 

The demise of Muthu Krishnan is yet again a sad reminder of the systematic alienation which the students from socio-economically deprived sections face in our universities. The latest policy offensive in the form of regressive UGC notification and insensitivity of the university administrations is creating an environment of unease and anxiety. It is in this background that the demand for 'Rohith Act' against the caste based discrimination came to fore. The BJP government at centre has been ignoring this crucial demand until now.

 

SFI demands that a proper enquiry be undertaken to ascertain the reasons behind the death of Muthu. We express our deep condolences to the family and friends of Muthu, in this moment of grief.

 

We yet again reiterate our resolve to intensify the movement for the Rohith Act.The courageous lives of Muthu and numerous other like him is a pointer for the student movement to overturn this regime of caste and capital. Muthu, your struggles and your dreams will not go in vain!

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West Bengal state committees of SFI & DYFI had jointly called for a Rajbhaban Abhijaan (rally to the Governor's Office) today demanding a corruption-free and transparent procedure in recruitment of the primary Teachers in West Bengal. The rally saw huge mobilization of students & youth from across the state despite heavy rains.

 

The TET results declared by the West Bengal Primary Education Board showed that only 1.07% of those who appeared in the examination have crossed the bar. Though 35,000 posts were reported to be officially vacant, only a small proportion of those who sat in the examination were declared passed. Primarily it was 55 lakhs of people reported to have applied for TET examination. Suddenly it was officially announced that 45 lakhs of applications have been received. Finally it was further announced that just 17, 72,000 thousand people appeared in TET examination where only 18,792 people were qualified in TET. It has come to light that the list was prepared by the ruling party leaders. The so-called ‘analysis’ was done in Trinamool Bhaban in Kolkata. The list contained the names of relatives, close aids of the TMC MLAs, leaders and hardcore TMC activists. This is nothing but a cruel joke on the aspirations and hopes of the educated unemployed youth of West Bengal. State units of SFI & DYFI have been consistently taking up this issue & mobilizing youth & students in thousands.

 

The march started from the college street in afternoon with slogans against irregular recruitments and huge scam involving TMC kingpins reverberating the streets of Kolkata. Rally took form of a road blockade at Dharamtala, as a delegation left to Governor’s office for the schedule appointment. At this juncture, police started indiscriminate lathicharge on the protesters injuring almost 30 activists, who had to be sent to Calcutta medical college. More than 130 activists have been arrested and sent to Lal bazar police lockups. Our comrades have rejected the state's offer for a peaceful bail and have chosen to spend the night at jail only in demand of an unconditional release tomorrow. Amongst those who have been arrested areSFI WB President Madhuja Senroy, SFI CEC members Com. Dhrubajyoti Saha and Soumyajit Rajak, DYFI WB President Sayandeep Mitra and DYFI CEC member Indrajit Ghosh.

 

We extend our revolutionary solidarity with the Comrades of SFI-DYFI struggling at Kolkata today. We would like to remind the autocratic Mamta government of West Bengal that no amount of repression can deter our spirit in carrying forward the movement in defence of the rights of employment of the students & youth of the state. The movement shall continue until victory!

 

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