Jamshedpur, May 9: A group of six students of Jamshedpur Co-operative College (JCC) who were on an indefinite hunger strike at the college campus in Bistupur since Saturday morning called off their strike after assurance from Govenor Draupadi Murmu and HRD minister Neera Yadav that extra classes will be organized in the college and students having 30 percent attendance can appear for their examinations.
Earlier protesting students created havoc at the college premises and asked the teachers and students to stop the ongoing classes and also shut down all other official work at the college and also vandalized the college property breaking several window panes and benches.
Student collapses
A protesting student of Jamshedpur Co-operative College on hunger strike collapsed this morning.
Rohan Banerjee (23), a BA Part-III student of the college, was on the fast along with five other students, demanding the college authority to allow the students to fill up examination forms by altering in the attendance criteria.
According to sources, the blood pressure of Rohan, who is a resident of Sonari and had not taken any food for the past few days, had dropped abysmally low and was feeling dizzy since last night. He collapsed at about10 a.m., while at the protest site along with five co-agitators.
Sources said some students immediately informed Dhalbhum sub-divisional officer, Suraj Kumar, who immediately sent an ambulance to the protest site at the JCC. Rohan was at the emergency ward of the MGM Medical College and Hospital.
Another student, Sonu Thakur, who is also on the fast, said that the condition of the remaining five students was same.
Thakur, on being asked said that about 400 students out of 600 Part III students have been debarred from filling up their forms for final examination which is scheduled to begin from May 26. He said about 100 out of 300 post-graduate students are also facing the same problem due to short attendance.
Later a senior BJP activist Rajesh Shukla and Ghatshila legislator Laxman Tuddu came to the JCC campus where they met the striking students. They also met the principal Razi at the college and subsequently talked to Neera Yadav, minister, Human Resource Development, over phone.
Following the assurance by the HRD minister that she would talk to the secretary of the HRD for giving necessary relaxation in the attendance policy, the striking students were asked to end the agitation.
The students had alleged the college and the Kolhan University of being biased towards some students and brutal to many.
About 1000 students from undergraduate and post graduate final year who were not allowed to fill their examination forms due to their poor attendance had alleged that there are students who have filled up forms even with zero per cent attendance.
Although the Jamshedpur Co-operative College have had reduced the attendance criteria to 60 percent from 75 percent, there are many students who did not fulfill the criteria to appear for their examination. The Kolhan University today announced the dates of UG final year which starts from May 25.
Principal SS Razi said that Rohan was released from the hospital and that the students have ended the indefinite hunger strike after getting an assurance from the HRD minister on providing relaxation in the attendance.
