Pune: For the past two and a half years, students of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI) in Pune have been fighting for their pending scholarships.
Frustration over the government's inaction on their demands escalated when a student attempted self-immolation during a protest.
The student, identified as Gangadhar Dugane, poured petrol on himself and tried to set himself on fire in front of the BARTI office, demanding that the government grant 100% of the scholarships from the registration date, instead of the 50% based on the award date as per a recent decision.
The incident occurred during an indefinite hunger strike that students have been staging against the state government’s July 25, 2024 decision regarding the scholarships.
The students have been boycotting the scholarship document verification process in protest, vowing not to allow any further processes until their demands are met.
The protest took a dire turn as the students blocked the main entrance of the BARTI office, with Dugane attempting self-immolation while chanting slogans for their rights.
The action committee members and other students, including Pallavi Gaikwad and Harshvardhan Davane, were present during the incident.
Dugane, a Ph.D. student, expressed his frustration over the government's lack of action, stating that he had borrowed INR 1.5 lakh for his studies, hoping to receive the scholarship. He questioned whether the government wanted all students to meet the same fate as Rohith Vemula, a reference to a tragic student suicide case that drew national attention.
The situation remains tense as the hunger strike continues, with students determined to persist until the government addresses their demands.
