Cambridge Pupil Union’s post-graduate President was stretchered into an ambulance by paramedics 24 days after he began a starvation strike to protest college ‘corruption’.
Vareesh Pratap was seen semi-conscious surrounded by 4 paramedics as he lay barely responsive in a deck chair in entrance of a ‘Cease Killing Democracy’ poster simply outdoors of Senate Home.
Paramedics took his temperature and blood stress earlier than carrying him into an ambulance and dashing him to hospital, in line with a scholar witness on the scene.
It comes 24 days after Pratap started dry fasting to protest alleged ‘corruption’ and ‘nepotism’ inside the College of Cambridge Pupil Union.
In a scathing letter titled ‘Cease Killing Democracy’ and revealed on-line on Might 14, Pratap claimed that the Pupil Union had turn into a ‘quasi-family enterprise’ characterised by nepotism.
Cambridge Pupil Union’s post-graduate President Vareesh Pratap has been rushed to hospital greater than three weeks after beginning his starvation strike in protest in opposition to ‘corruption’ and ‘nepotism’ on the college
Addressed to the College of Cambridge Vice Chancellor Deborah Prentice the letter lists 5 calls for together with to ‘declare the not too long ago held Pupil Trustees’ election null and void.’
His calls for additionally embody annulling appointments of employees who’ve been employed to jobs with out correct commercial, maintain by-elections to interchange the sabbatical officer roles which have been not too long ago vacated, and to extend transparency of SU funds.
Within the letter Pratap additionally accused the College and Pupil Union of racist bullying claiming that there had been ‘incidents of focused harassment in opposition to sabbatical officers – particularly these of color’.
Pratap’s starvation strike got here only a week after the resignation of Harvey Brown the SU’s Welfare and Group Officer, who give up over the College’s stance on the Israel/ Gaza struggle.
In an announcement Brown mentioned he couldn’t work for an organisation that doesn’t ‘categorical public opposition to Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza.’
Brown was the fourth sabbatical officer to resign this yr.
In his open letter – which at the moment has 279 signatures – Pratap claims that there are different officers who’re additionally severely fascinated about leaving their jobs too.
Talking to MailOnline solely final month Pratap described the starvation strike as a ‘check of my very own persistence’ and claimed he was decided to proceed till all his ‘calls for are met’.
In a scathing letter titled ‘Cease Killing Democracy’ and revealed on-line on Might 14, Pratap claimed that the Pupil Union had turn into a ‘quasi-family enterprise’ characterised by nepotism
On June 1 Cambridge SU known as a Pupil Members Assembly scheduled for June 10 to debate Pratap’s calls for after his petition obtained the mandatory 200 signature threshold required to set off a gathering.
An e-mail despatched spherical to all college students acknowledged that the SU was conscious of ‘points and considerations relating to the SU’s effectiveness (…) in addition to considerations relating to college students’ total welfare.’
Cambridge SU had not too long ago launched a democracy overview type on its web site after the annual Pupil Members Assembly was postponed as a consequence of a low turnout.
This row comes amidst a brand new wave of starvation strikes throughout British and American College campuses, to protest Israel’s struggle in opposition to Hamas in Gaza.
An unknown variety of college students on the College of Edinburgh have claimed that they’re on starvation strike.
In the meantime in America, greater than a dozen Princeton College college students started starvation strikes in Might to specific solidarity with Palestinains in Gaza.
The Cambridge Pupil Union and the College of Cambridge have been contacted for remark.
