CPI(M) MP John Brittas urges President Murmu to end JNU hunger strike and lift rustication

John Brittas, a Rajya Sabha member from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), addressed a letter to President Droupadi Murmu on October 18, seeking her immediate action to end the indefinite hunger strike by JNU students and to cancel the rustication orders against elected union officials. He highlighted that the strike, now in its 16th day, stems from a charter of 13 demands such as restoring the Gender Sensitisation Committee, reinstating the university entrance exam, and lifting punitive fines imposed by the Chief Proctor Office Manual.

Brittas also wrote separately to Union education minister Pralhad Joshi, describing the protest as an extreme yet peaceful form of dissent and urging swift engagement with university authorities. He cited his own experience as a former JNU student to stress the importance of preserving space for democratic expression and warned that harsh disciplinary measures could deter future student activism. The letters stress the deteriorating health of the strikers and the broader implications for gender justice, equal opportunity, and campus facilities. Brittas called on both the President and the minister to act promptly to safeguard student welfare and resolve the grievances.