Hyderabad: Students of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) on Friday launched an indefinite hunger strike at North Shopcom, demanding action on a range of student welfare and academic issues. In a statement, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) said the students were demanding menstrual leave, a Rs 3,000 UoHSA fellowship for every eligible student without the existing 1,200-recipient cap, an end to the fellowship backlog and 75% attendance barrier, attendance relaxation for chronically ill and disabled students, mandatory gender-sensitisation workshops, and remedial classes and academic support for students facing structural inequalities.The AISA claimed that the university administration had refused to allow tents at the protest site despite the heat, rain, mosquitoes and the reported presence of snakes and scorpions on campus. Calling the protest illegal, UoH officials said that no permission had been sought or given for the protest.“This was started on Friday midnight, after we spoke with students and took cognisance of all their demands. In fact, they even called off the protest at around 7.30 pm. At around 11 pm, we received a call from security saying students were trying to bring in tent and other items into the campus, which was not allowed. Around midnight, they sent a mail informing us that they were sitting on a hunger strike,” said an official, adding that the varsity has already informed the police and the CMO about the protest on campus and that they would be reviewing the situation on Saturday.Meanwhile, calling the demands reasonable, the students said they would continue the hunger strike despite the administration’s reported refusal to provide tents.
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