PaRCha - JNU - AISA - 2008 ID-5182
.
,.. .
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' Red Salute to the Grit ofall the Indefinite Hunger Strikers Who Fasted for than 12 .
.
days and Displayed Unfailing Determination in Spite of Their Failing HealthI .
12.7.07 Congratulations to the Student-Teacher-Karamchari Unity on Campus thanks to which Several Issues on Charter of Demands Stand Clinched, .
~ . .
,And a Significant Step Ahead Towards Revocation of Students' Punishments .
The Relay Hunger Strike since June 23, and the Indefinite Hunger Strike that was on its 12th Day fmally achieved success, with the JNUSU and the Administration signing a written agreement today. .
' On Revocation of Punishments: The fLrst item ofthe agreement is a significant step towards revocation ofthe punishments of 11 students: according to this item, the VC, on receiving individual letters of regret with an appeal from the concerned students, will reconsider the punishments so as to enable them to take registration by 14 August .
While the determination ofthe student community and the support from the teaching community and democratic sections ofsociety must be congratulated for this development, the fact remains that the student movement must continue to be. vigilant. While the indefinite hunger strike has been lifted following this agreement, the students and the JNUSU must continue their campaigti and movement in other fom1S until each and every punitive measure against these students is actually revoked. .
It is the hope ofthe JNU community that the JNU Vice Chancellor wiU respond to the democratic appeals issued by students and teachers and wiJJ revoke the punishments at the earliest .
On the issue of minimum wages for workers and other legal entitlements ofworkers: To ensure the rights ofworkers, the Universityhasagteed to constitute a permanentcommittee with the representation ofall sections ofthe University community within one month. Students, teachers and karamcharis must participate inthe setting up ofthis committee and act speedily to ensure that this committee can correct the widespread violations ofminimum wage laws at the earliest. .
Advances on OtherIssues of Charter ofDemands .
The other important issues on the Charter ofDemands' that have been clinched are as follows: .
.
.
On UGC Scholarships for Research scholars: The University has agreed to pursue the matter with the UGC with regard to advancing the date ofthe Rs. 3000-Rs. 6000 fellowship for research scholars to July 2005 .
.
.
On enhancement ofMCM and raising of income cap for MCM: MCM scholarship amount for BA!MAIMSc'MCA students has been raised toRs. 1500 per month from April 1 2007, and the annual income cap for MCM eligibility has been raised to Rs. 1 lakh, following approval fromACIEC meetings .
.
.
On Inclusion of Gender Violence in GSCASH: The proposal to include gender violence in the purview ofGSCASH will be referred to all Schools/Centres/Unions/ Associations within 3 months .
.
.
On Democratisation ofEOO: The Committee that had been setup to look into further democratisation ofEqual Opportunity Office will be asked to expedite its decision .
.
.
On Recognition ofMadarsa Certificates for BA 1-r YearAdmissions in JNU: JNUSU had been persistently struggling to clinch this issue and had conducted a massive signature campaign and public meetings to sensitise JNU on the need to democratise the admissions process. Following this campaign, the matter had been taken up by the Equivatence Committee of JNU which had sought inputs from other Universitjes which recognise madarsa degrees. Responses from these universities have arrived and in today's agreement, the Administration has agreed to vigorously pursue the matter towards recognition ofthe madarsa degrees. .
.
.
While these are significant gains, JNUSU and the JNU student movement must pursue each ofthese issues to its logical conclusion. This long and continuing struggle is a remarkable chapter in the history ofthe JNU student movement. Itwas marked by the democratic spirit asserted .
-by the students of JNU in their deteunination to set a new agenda for the student movement by taking up the struggleS of workers and preventing the victimisation oftheir comrades in this struggle; .
-by the teachers ofJNU in their support to the minimum wage struggle and their resistance to the punitive actions on activists of that struggle .
by a range ofdemocratic personalities, citizens and academics who issued statements in solidarity with the students or who came to meet the hunger strikers: Historians Sumit Sarkar, Uma Cbak.ravarty, Poet Viren Dangwal (who met hunger strikers yesterday), legal experts like Prashant Bhushan and Colin Gonsalves, writer Arundhati Roy, filmmakers likeAnand Patwardhan and Sanjay Kak, social activists like Medha Patkar, and ex-VC ofNEHU B D Sharma, human rights groups likePUDR and EPW consultant editor Gautam Navlakha, Sumit Chakravarty, editorofMainstream,joumalists likeAmit Sengupta, former JNUSU office bearers, various central Trade Union bodies and academics ofvarious campuses in the capjtallike Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia, and various JNU alunmi, to name just a few. The JNU student movement will continue this democratic .
bond in the days to come. .
We hope that today's agreement is a sign that the JNU Administration will in future view students' struggles on issues like minimum wages and workers' rights in a positive rather than a punitive light. We believe that the JNUAdministration will carry forward the spirit oftoday's agreement and will work along with the entire JNU community to build a more humane, egalitarian and democratic JNU. .
sdi-Awadhesh, President, AISA. JNU sd/-Mobeen Alam, vice-President. AISA, JNU .
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PaRCha - JNU - AISA - 2008 ID-5182
.
,.. .
.
' Red Salute to the Grit ofall the Indefinite Hunger Strikers Who Fasted for than 12 .
.
days and Displayed Unfailing Determination in Spite of Their Failing HealthI .
12.7.07 Congratulations to the Student-Teacher-Karamchari Unity on Campus thanks to which Several Issues on Charter of Demands Stand Clinched, .
~ . .
,And a Significant Step Ahead Towards Revocation of Students' Punishments .
The Relay Hunger Strike since June 23, and the Indefinite Hunger Strike that was on its 12th Day fmally achieved success, with the JNUSU and the Administration signing a written agreement today. .
' On Revocation of Punishments: The fLrst item ofthe agreement is a significant step towards revocation ofthe punishments of 11 students: according to this item, the VC, on receiving individual letters of regret with an appeal from the concerned students, will reconsider the punishments so as to enable them to take registration by 14 August .
While the determination ofthe student community and the support from the teaching community and democratic sections ofsociety must be congratulated for this development, the fact remains that the student movement must continue to be. vigilant. While the indefinite hunger strike has been lifted following this agreement, the students and the JNUSU must continue their campaigti and movement in other fom1S until each and every punitive measure against these students is actually revoked. .
It is the hope ofthe JNU community that the JNU Vice Chancellor wiU respond to the democratic appeals issued by students and teachers and wiJJ revoke the punishments at the earliest .
On the issue of minimum wages for workers and other legal entitlements ofworkers: To ensure the rights ofworkers, the Universityhasagteed to constitute a permanentcommittee with the representation ofall sections ofthe University community within one month. Students, teachers and karamcharis must participate inthe setting up ofthis committee and act speedily to ensure that this committee can correct the widespread violations ofminimum wage laws at the earliest. .
Advances on OtherIssues of Charter ofDemands .
The other important issues on the Charter ofDemands' that have been clinched are as follows: .
.
.
On UGC Scholarships for Research scholars: The University has agreed to pursue the matter with the UGC with regard to advancing the date ofthe Rs. 3000-Rs. 6000 fellowship for research scholars to July 2005 .
.
.
On enhancement ofMCM and raising of income cap for MCM: MCM scholarship amount for BA!MAIMSc'MCA students has been raised toRs. 1500 per month from April 1 2007, and the annual income cap for MCM eligibility has been raised to Rs. 1 lakh, following approval fromACIEC meetings .
.
.
On Inclusion of Gender Violence in GSCASH: The proposal to include gender violence in the purview ofGSCASH will be referred to all Schools/Centres/Unions/ Associations within 3 months .
.
.
On Democratisation ofEOO: The Committee that had been setup to look into further democratisation ofEqual Opportunity Office will be asked to expedite its decision .
.
.
On Recognition ofMadarsa Certificates for BA 1-r YearAdmissions in JNU: JNUSU had been persistently struggling to clinch this issue and had conducted a massive signature campaign and public meetings to sensitise JNU on the need to democratise the admissions process. Following this campaign, the matter had been taken up by the Equivatence Committee of JNU which had sought inputs from other Universitjes which recognise madarsa degrees. Responses from these universities have arrived and in today's agreement, the Administration has agreed to vigorously pursue the matter towards recognition ofthe madarsa degrees. .
.
.
While these are significant gains, JNUSU and the JNU student movement must pursue each ofthese issues to its logical conclusion. This long and continuing struggle is a remarkable chapter in the history ofthe JNU student movement. Itwas marked by the democratic spirit asserted .
-by the students of JNU in their deteunination to set a new agenda for the student movement by taking up the struggleS of workers and preventing the victimisation oftheir comrades in this struggle; .
-by the teachers ofJNU in their support to the minimum wage struggle and their resistance to the punitive actions on activists of that struggle .
by a range ofdemocratic personalities, citizens and academics who issued statements in solidarity with the students or who came to meet the hunger strikers: Historians Sumit Sarkar, Uma Cbak.ravarty, Poet Viren Dangwal (who met hunger strikers yesterday), legal experts like Prashant Bhushan and Colin Gonsalves, writer Arundhati Roy, filmmakers likeAnand Patwardhan and Sanjay Kak, social activists like Medha Patkar, and ex-VC ofNEHU B D Sharma, human rights groups likePUDR and EPW consultant editor Gautam Navlakha, Sumit Chakravarty, editorofMainstream,joumalists likeAmit Sengupta, former JNUSU office bearers, various central Trade Union bodies and academics ofvarious campuses in the capjtallike Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia, and various JNU alunmi, to name just a few. The JNU student movement will continue this democratic .
bond in the days to come. .
We hope that today's agreement is a sign that the JNU Administration will in future view students' struggles on issues like minimum wages and workers' rights in a positive rather than a punitive light. We believe that the JNUAdministration will carry forward the spirit oftoday's agreement and will work along with the entire JNU community to build a more humane, egalitarian and democratic JNU. .
sdi-Awadhesh, President, AISA. JNU sd/-Mobeen Alam, vice-President. AISA, JNU .
I .
.
I.
. .
r .
1 .
r .
j .
r .
::l .
..... .
s .
y .
m .
.
311 .
.
), .
' .
.
... .
.
-' ,..I .
~ .
... .
.
.