Pune: Two days after a student from the tribal development department’s hostel in Manjari raised concerns of protesting tribal students with Rahul Gandhi at his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Pune, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to meet the students and resolve their grievances.The students have been protesting for the past 12 days, seeking, among other demands, removal of the age cap for hostel admission/stay and withdrawal of a rule mandating pregnancy tests for female students returning after holidays of more than a month. A protesting student, Nisha Sable, shared the stage with Rahul on Saturday and apprised him of their demands. Rahul had offered to join their protest after listening to her concerns.In his letter to Fadnavis on Monday, Rahul said the students were “not asking for charity” but demanding what was rightfully theirs. “They should not have to risk their health for their govt to listen,” he said, urging the chief minister to personally meet the students and address their concerns.Rahul said tribal students across the state had been protesting for more than ten days. “Many Adivasi students come from remote villages and depend on govt hostels to study in the cities. A new rule bars anyone over 30 from these hostels, excluding many who are still completing their studies or preparing for exams,” he stated.He added that hostels for these students are unsafe as they reportedly lack food, sanitation and medical care. Incidents of snakebites have also been reported. “I was shocked to learn that female students returning after an extended absence must undergo pregnancy tests and a range of other medical tests, to prove their ‘fitness’. It is a humiliation that presumes them guilty until they prove otherwise. This rule is an attack on their dignity and their humanity,” he said.Tribal students across the state started their protest after the govt introduced a government resolution (GR) on Aug 4, which fixed the age limit for staying in hostels at 26. However, after the decision sparked protests, the GR was revised on Aug 14 and the age limit was increased to 30. The students, however, are demanding complete withdrawal of the GR, besides seeking better facilities at hostels run by the Tribal Development Department across the state. They are also demanding immediate recruitment of aspirants from tribal community for 12,500 vacant posts which they claim have been stuck for a long time.
