‘End Hunger Strike, Keep Fighting’: CJP’s Dipke To Nashik Tribal Students

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), on Thursday urged tribal students protesting in Nashik to call off their hunger strike in view of concerns over their health, while asking them to continue pressing the government to address their demands . Dipke met the protesting students at Nashik and criticised what he described as a stark disparity in the facilities, food and education provided to tribal students. He said the situation was “completely unacceptable” and called for action to address the concerns raised by the protesters. According to reports, Dipke met students who had been observing a hunger strike for 12 days. In a post on X, he claimed that 590 tribal students had died within two years, linking the deaths to the alleged disparities in facilities and education. The figure was cited by Dipke in his statement and has not been independently verified. “I urged them to call off the strike for their health, but they must keep fighting until their demands are met. If necessary, we will march to Mumbai together,” Dipke said. More than 100 tribal students from different parts of Maharashtra are participating in the protest at Eidgah Ground in Nashik. Three students — Vivek Gavit from Nashik, Rahul Pawara from Surgana in Nashik and Laxmi Jadhav from Nandurbar — are observing an indefinite hunger strike. Tribal Students Raise Multiple Demands The protesters have claimed that 592 students have died in ashram schools across Maharashtra and have demanded compensation for the families of the deceased. They have also sought the suspension of officials allegedly responsible for lapses and demanded the resignation of the state’s tribal development minister over alleged suspicious deaths and concerns surrounding student safety. Among their other demands is the replacement of the centralised food system in tribal hostels with fresh food for students. Protesters have also alleged that money is being collected from students in the name of donations and have called for an end to the practice. The students have further demanded the formation of a committee involving tribal social organisations to investigate alleged corruption in the Tribal Sports Academy. Another key demand is insurance coverage of Rs 10 lakh for every student enrolled in an ashram school. The agitation also received political support on Thursday, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray meeting the protesters and extending his support to their demands. Also Read : IndiGo Aircraft Grounded After Hitting Parking Pole at Srinagar Airport