While the class boycott stir of the students of the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) has entered its 12th day on Monday, several organisations have lent support to it and said that they would stage a rally at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in case the demands of the students are not met soon. While the students said that they would not withdraw their stir until the authority of the institute gives them a letter where it must be stated that the former director Anuradha Dalmiya would not be reinstated the officials of the institute said that the students are doing the bidding of someone else without using their minds to decide what they should do.
While the authority of the institute claims that most of the demands of the students have been fulfilled, the students insist that they must be provided with a written undertaking that the former director who was made to quit following the stir would under no circumstances be brought back to the institute.
Besides, they demand that no action should be taken against the students for sitting in the agitation. They also say that the time limit for meeting the demands they have put forward should be fixed and they must be informed thereof. If these demands are not met, they would continue with their stir, they said. Notably, the faculty members of the institute had earlier indicated that the students were likely to withdraw their stir on Monday.
However, the strike continued as the authority failed to provide them with the written undertaking as demanded by them.
Meanwhile, three other organisations-National Federation of the Blind (NFB), All India Confederation of the Blind (AICB) and Jan Vadi Samiti besides the alumni of NIVH-have lent their weight behind the agitating students.
An AICB member Rishikesh Radhli said, “Our support is lying with the students. The long-continuing stir by the students here clearly indicates that the authority has slept over their grievances for long. In case their demands are not met soon we would together hold a protest rally at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to pressure the authority to meet the demands.”
Queried over the unrelenting students and the continuing stir, the additional director NIVH KVS Rao said, “We are doing our best to meet the demands of the students. They should understand things. Now, what is important is that they must end the strike and return to the classes.”