Six tribal students have been on a hunger strike for 15 days at the Manjari tribal hostel, with their health increasingly at risk. This protest has garnered significant attention, drawing hundreds of supporters who have joined the demonstration in solidarity. The students are advocating for their rights and raising awareness about their situation.
Pune: Tribal students on hunger strike refused to repeal their protest on day 15 since it began, as the face-off continued between them and govt over various demands.
We cancelled the GR issued on Aug 14. Regarding recruitment under PESA, he said, “Since 2014, we have two routes of recruitment, PESA and non-PESA. We have 17 cadres under PESA, of which recruitment for nine cadres is on. Bhua Korde, one of the students protesting at Manjari boys tribal hostel, said, “Under the PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas), govt had reserved 100% of posts for scheduled tribes (ST). But right now, a Supreme Court (SC) case is on, challenging the 100% reservation. Student Suraj Bande said, “The minister has given verbal assurances, but we demand GRs and specific deadlines, especially about when govt will start the special drive to fill in 12,500 vacancies reserved for STs, a fixed deadline as to when the centralised kitchen system and DBTs will be abolished, and when a decentralised kitchen system will start.
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A day after a long parley with protesting students, state tribal minister Ashok Uike said govt has already issued instructions to the respective departments in case of demands that can be rectified immediately. For those that require a policy decision, the minister said they have asked the students for some more time, and requested them to call off their hunger strike in the interim. We do not trust govt’s verbal promises but insist on GRs, written assurances and specific deadlines. ” He added, “We will wait until Friday. He also said he will write to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to seek appropriate action.
The students continue to demand written assurance and warned that more students would join the hunger strike by Friday night if the does not come out with written assurances. The students have been pressing for their demands related to jobs and action against bogus certificates since the past two weeks, during which time govt rolled back a few of its more controversial decisions, including lowering the age cap for hostel residency and the mandatory pregnancy test for girls returning after over a month of vacation. Students also demanded a hostel in a central location, so we had a discussion with the SPPU chancellor in Pune and made a commitment to build a hostel inside this campus in the coming days. A hostel for tribal girls and boys will be built inside Pune university soon. He added, “We have instructed various departments in writing that without a valid ST certificate, students must not be granted degrees or transfer certificates. With regards to direct-to-benefit (DBT) transfers, we need more time since this is a policy decision. We have also written letters to our medical colleges and primary health centres that in case of any snake or insect bites, students must be attended to immediately and essential antidotes must be available. The students do not want a central kitchen and so we will cancel the centralised kitchen system. We have written to establishments to begin recruitment for the remaining six cadres as well. Regarding the roster for recruitment, we are also contemplating ways to solve this issue. “ Hundreds of students, meanwhile, continued to press for more urgent solutions. Employees for the same were recruited after an examination. This is not fair. Govt must reinstate these employees immediately. This demand remains unaddressed. Govt wants time and we understand it, but we want it in writing by when these employees will be reinstated, with a specific deadline. If there is no positive step from govt, more students will join the hunger strike and the protest will grow stronger. Download the TOI App.
A day earlier, Uike had met the students for a six-hour-long marathon meeting, which failed to convince the students to call off their hunger strike. However, even before the court’s decision, govt terminated half the permanent employees. On Thursday, Uike told reporters in Mumbai, “We have agreed to many demands made by the students. On Thursday, MLA Vinod Nikole met the tribal students and demanded that govt accept their demands raised.