Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 6: Students, Scholars Joint Action Committee (SSJAC) today threatened to go on hunger strike in protest against the alleged suppressive policies of Jammu University administration.
A large number of students and scholars from various departments of JU, led by SSJAC chairman Varinder Singh Chib, staged a protest dharna outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office and requested the Governor N N Vohra, who is also Chancellor of the varsity, for his immediate intervention to restore credibility of the institution.
A number of female scholars also joined the protest dharna and raised slogans against the JU administration as well as vice-Chancellor Prof M P S Ishar. Threatening hunger strike in front of the Raj Bhawan, they pledged to take the ongoing struggle to a logical conclusion.
“There is no accountability in the university and the Vice-Chancellor has been taking unilateral decisions in violation of all norms. He is taking decisions which suit some touts of various political parties whereas scholars and students have been subjected to sheer mental harassment,” Chib said while addressing the protestors.
He alleged that whenever scholars or students dared to expose the maladministration and financial irregularities in the varsity, the JU administration always tried to muffle such voices by resorting to suppressive tactics.
Ajay Prasher, a senior scholar, warned the university administration to desist from its purported decision of merging Department of Strategic and Regional Studies with the Political Sciences Department and said it would harm the future of students and scholars.
“Scholars have been subjected to mental harassment as there has been no meeting of Department Research Committees for the last two years. It has seriously affected the career prospects of the scholars. The prevailing situation on the campus is quite dangerous,” Pradhuman Singh said and appealed students, scholars and civil society to join the SSJAC struggle to end nepotism, favouritism and dictatorial policies of the university administration.
According to Anju Bala of Dogri Department, her JRF scholarship got lapsed due to unprecedented delay in holding of DRC meeting by the University authorities despite scheduling the same five times during the last two years.
Ajay Prashar of Centre for Strategic and Regional Studies along with more than a dozen other scholars also had the similar grievance as DRC meeting of CSRC was also not conducted for the last two years.
Ashwani Kumar alleged harassment of the Buddhist Studies Department scholars.
Other scholars, who also addressed the protest demonstration and highlighted grievances of scholars and students, included Pushpinder Singh, Rohit, Neeraj, Rajesh Sharma and Fayaz.
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