ON November 19, joint platform of central trade unions comprising INTUC,   AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, LPF, SEWA, UTUC, AICCTU, TUCC and    MEC has strongly condemned condemns the police action against the JNU students during their Parliament march. In this police action many students have sustained serious injuries and women students have been assaulted by male constables. We demand that action be taken against the police officials responsible for such an action. We also express our full support and solidarity with the ongoing movement against the hefty hike in the hostel fees and other draconian measures related to hostel rules.

Malicious campaign of misinformation has been carried out by the university administration, as well as BJP-RSS on the issue on which students of JNU have been agitating for last three weeks.

The JNU VC has been acting on the directions of RSS-BJP. Instead of solving the legitimate concerns raised by students; he has used every kind of threat and intimidation and has reduced the campus to a police cantonment. The sustained pressure of the student movement has forced the MHRD to form a three-member committee to end the deadlock in the university. We demand that this hefty fee hike be taken back and necessary action be taken against the officials responsible for the deplorable state of the university. A person like M Jagadesh Kumar has no right to continue as the VC of the university.

Modi government’s designs to open the public sector for the profiteering of capitalists are clearly visible in the case of education sector as well. Public education is being dismantled to pave way for Ambani-Adani-Birla. The biggest brunt of costly education will fall upon the children of working class families. The brave battle which the students of JNU are fighting isn’t limited only to fee hikes in JNU; it is part of the bigger struggle in defense of the public education system in the country. This is the battle to ensure that children of poor are able to get higher education. Trade Union movement expresses its full solidarity with the ongoing movement.

·       We demand that no punishment should be taken against any student and further no FIR should be filed against them.

·       Central government should intervene to ensure that university administration initiates a dialogue with the students on fee hike, NEP &other issues and end this deadlock.

·       We firmly oppose the NEP directive to the central and state government’s  run educational institutions to mobilise their own funds. We oppose privatisation, commercialisation & communalisation of entire education system.