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Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar and other JNU students on hunger strike against punishment

by IBNS 28 Apr 2016, 08:24 am

New Delhi, Apr 28 (IBNS) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, along with other students started their hunger strike on Wednesday night demanding withdrawal of punitive action against them by the university authorities, reports said.

The students are on protest against the recommendations of the high-level inquiry committee that probed the February 9 event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. . "We have been maintaining right from the beginning that we have no faith in the probe committee. We are all sitting on hunger strike against the arbitrary punishments given to us. The inquiry was a sham and students have rejected it in our general body meeting. We will not abide by the punishment given to us," media reports quoted JNUSU General Secretary Rama Naga as saying Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000 on grounds of "indiscipline and misconduct". Umar, Anirban Mujeeb Gatoo have been rusticated for varied durations. Fourteen students have been fined, while hostel facilities of two students have been withdrawn and the university has barred two former students from the campus.