A PhD student attempted self-immolation outside the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI) office in Pune on Friday. The student, identified as Sanvidhan Dugane, was captured in a viral video of the incident. This dramatic act comes amid ongoing protests over unpaid scholarships for PhD students.
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In the video, Dugane is seen pouring kerosene on himself and attempting to ignite it in front of the BARTI office. Quick intervention from the police and bystanders, who poured water on him and removed his kerosene-soaked clothes, prevented the act from escalating.
PhD students who registered in 2022 at BARTI have yet to receive their scholarships. Despite repeated demands and protests, the administration has not addressed their grievances. Several students have alleged that the issue remains unresolved. On Wednesday, they sent a letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, threatening mass immolation if their demands were not met.
Pallavi Gaikwad and Harshwardhan Dawane, two PhD students, have been on hunger strike for the past four days in protest. Gaikwad stated, "The government released a new GR on July 25 that reduced our scholarship by up to 50 per cent. This is unfair to the students. We demand that the new GR be cancelled. We will not end our hunger strike until our demands are met."
Dugane also spoke to The Free Press Journal after the incident, saying, "We are forced to resort to such extreme measures. I want to live, but the authorities are making excuses, saying this issue can only be discussed in the Cabinet. We have been struggling for over two years without any scholarship. After prolonged protests, the government decided to provide only 50 per cent of the scholarship, which is not fair."
The protesters are scheduled to meet Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai soon. "We hope to receive a positive response," they added.
