Students of Pondicherry University began an indefinite relay hunger strike seeking the revoking of the suspension of students, and urging punishment for the culprit involved in ragging of two first year girl students.
An agitating student said the relay fast would continue till the demands of the students were met. Kavya M, a student sitting in hunger strike, demanded that the “unjust suspension of students who reacted against the ragging be withdrawn.”
Students said the enquiry by the university authorities was biased and with pre-conceived notions. They also said the officials were trying to depict the incident as a tiff between two groups of students which was completely baseless.
Various organisations, including the Students Federation of India, the Democratic Youth Federation of India and the All India Democratic Women’s Association came out in support of the agitating students. It may be recalled that the authorities had decided to suspend nine students after the recommendations of Discipline Committee,
The panel had suggested disciplinary action against five students for approaching media to release the news about the ragging without permission from the university. Disciplinary proceedings are initiated against the rest for “taking law in their hands and organising unauthorised protests within the university campus.