NEW DELHI: After 42 days of protests and a 13-day hunger strike demanding basic facilities at Mewat Engineering College in Nuh, the Haryana Waqf Board issued a written assurance accepting the students’ demands, following which the hunger strike was called off on Wednesday.
However, the letter, dated November 10 and signed by Haryana Waqf Board Administrator Zakir Hussain, does not specify any deadlines for fulfilling the demands. Instead, it asked the college director to submit a phase-wise schedule detailing the proposed works so that the Board can issue a separate assurance with definite timelines.
The students had been protesting over the lack of basic infrastructure and facilities at the college, raising concerns over the condition of the building and the need for repairs and renovation. The agitation continued for 42 days, with students eventually resorting to a hunger strike that lasted 13 days to press the authorities into acting on their demands.
The students were demanding basic facilities in a building that reportedly has only one washroom, used by both staff and students. The building does not have laboratories or libraries, or even books, and is located on Waqf land. Classes have also been on hold for the past four months owing to a lack of faculty.
One of the protesting students, Mohammad Adil, said, “We have been struggling to survive in this college. The Waqf Board had completely ignored this place, and they didn’t talk about the required funds for the college. Over 600 students are studying in this college, and more than 70% are Muslims, but the situation has been really bad.”
However, in the letter, Hussain stated that he had visited the college on September 18 and September 24, during which the students’ genuine demands were accepted. He also said that necessary action had been initiated and technical staff from the Board’s head office would supervise repair and renovation work at the college building.
The administrator further referred to a meeting held on November 4 at the Mini Secretariat in Nuh, attended by the Deputy Commissioner, Haryana Waqf Board officials, representatives of the Mewat Development Agency, faculty members and students. During the meeting, the college director was asked to submit a comprehensive proposal with a definite implementation schedule.
The letter also stated that funds had been released and work had commenced on some of the demands.
Another student, Suhail, said, “The latest communication stops short of providing students with a concrete timeline for the fulfilment of their demands. It states that a separate assurance letter will be issued after the Board receives the requisite information from the college administration.”
Despite repeated calls and messages, Zakir Hussain, the administrator, did not respond to requests for comment.
While the two students called off their hunger strike following the written assurance, the protests will continue, students said, until the demands are met.
