The recent death of Abhijit Shinde during the Azim Premji University (APU) protest against the college’s shuttle fees has created a big ruckus
The university administration says that Shinde passed out at a college festival and died of a heart attack. But the students say he died because he took part in a hunger strike. Both sides have their own ideas about what happened, which has caused a lot of controversy and debate.
Who is Abhijit Shinde Azim Premji University (APU) student who died during protest against shuttle fees, biography, course and death reason
Abhijit Shinde was in his first year of studying for an MA in Development at APU. He was from the city of Satara in Maharashtra and had gotten his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Mumbai.
Sad demise of Sh. Abhijit Shinde, a result of University's lackadaisical Attitude.
ABVP mourns the death of Sh. Abhijit Shinde who died as a result of non- chalant attitude of University administration regarding shuttle charges. pic.twitter.com/tWuWUzHP3W— ABVP Bengaluru (@ABVPBengaluru) February 25, 2023
#AzimPremjiUniversity
Abhijit Shinde, 1st year PG student has died after collapsing while participating in the Unmkut event. He was on hunger strike from 22nd feb against "Shuttle Fees" imposed by university .APU students are protesting against shuttle fees for last 10 days. pic.twitter.com/YgHV7MS30T
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) February 24, 2023
.@azimpremjiuniv had released a statement on death of a student named Abhijit Shinde who was part of the protest against shuttle fees.
Later they deleted it and protected their handle. Why?
They allow protest against everything but can't tolerate one protest against themselve? pic.twitter.com/Z52qw79PJ6
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) February 27, 2023
Friends and classmates said he was a smart, driven student who cared deeply about social justice and political activism. He was a very involved member of the APU student community and had taken part in many protests and rallies.
Abhijit Shinde also took part in a protest against the college’s shuttle fees, which are still going on. He was one of the many students who wanted the fees, which they said were unfair and wrong, to be waived for everyone. Shinde had reportedly been on a hunger strike for 24 hours before he died.
Reports say that the APU students have been upset about the shuttle fees for more than ten days. They said that the college made them pay Rs. 8,500 per semester for a shuttle to take them from their KGA hostel, which was about 2.5 kilometres from the campus, to and from the campus.
They said that the management didn’t tell them about the extra fees when they were applying to the school and wouldn’t listen to their complaints.
Students and authorities argue on the cause of death
Students, including Abhijit Shinde, went to the university on February 24 to take part in a college festival. Shinde passed out during the event, and even though he got help right away, it was too late. The university said he died of a heart attack and was not part of the protest that was going on.
But the students said that Shinde’s death was caused by him taking part in the hunger strike. They said that the university didn’t have basic medical equipment and didn’t help Shinde enough when he fell down. They also said that the management was trying to scare off the students who were protesting.
The management of the university denied the claims and said that there were medical facilities on campus. They also said that Shinde was not part of the hunger strike on the day he died.
Students ask for independent investigation
Abhijit Shinde’s death has made a lot of APU students angry and made them want to protest. Students have asked for an independent investigation into what happened and have said that the management has been careless and uncaring about their needs. They have also asked the Vice-Chancellor and other officials to step down.
#AzimPremjiUniversity
Abhijit Shinde, 1st year PG student has died after collapsing while participating in the Unmkut event. He was on hunger strike from 22nd feb against "Shuttle Fees" imposed by university .APU students are protesting against shuttle fees for last 10 days. pic.twitter.com/vLeLbsxMYM
— Abinash Vasudeva (@AbiVasudeva) February 25, 2023
On the other hand, the APU management has sent their condolences and said they are doing everything they can to help Shinde’s family. They have also asked the students to give the family privacy during this hard time.
Abhijit Shinde’s death has brought up questions about student safety and welfare in Indian universities. The event makes people wonder what the university administration is doing to make sure its students are safe and if there needs to be a stronger system of accountability and openness.
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