The demands of the agitating students may be genuine but they resorted to method which was far from Gandhian. But it seems that we have turned deaf, dumb and blind and do not move till some unsavoury scene is created. Not to talk of the government machinery even the media gives prominence to violence and disruption and not to Gandhigiri.

When the trainee pilots were taking to the tarmac—there is no street in the airport––on Wednesday all the 48 students of the first batch of the Chandragupta Institute of Management Patna (CIMP), a business school opened in Bihar on the pattern of the Indian Institute of Management, were on hunger strike on its campus. They have been on fast since Monday and the condition of some of them is deteriorating. Their demand is simple: restoration of academic atmosphere.

They are there not to do politics––in fact they are not cut out for that job. They are those who got over 90 percentile in the CAT examination. Most of them––even those originally from Bihar––have their education outside the state before opting for the home state. They are articulate and can explain their side of the story. Yet not a single newspaper in the last four days printed a single word on their plight. The national television channel completely blacked out. However, the regional channels did cover it.

If we are forced by the national television channels to watch––and that too repeatedly––the roughing up of vice chancellor in Meerut or Agra or violence in any college in Delhi or Mumbai why is it that this novel method of Gandhigiri being completely blacked out?

To talk about the media of Bihar the less said is better. CIMP is situated just beside Doordarshan and All India Radio and almost a stone throw distance from the offices of premier national dailies––one of them had its edition in Patna. The studios of some of the premier national channels are also situated in its vicinity.

The media in Bihar have always been championing the cause of the people, but what have happened to them now. In the past they have covered the news of the rampaging medicos. Violence and agitation on Patna University campus are regularly reported. Even proper coverage is given to the campus activities outside the state capital.

If the CIMP students are to be believed all this is happening at the instance of a senior bureaucrat and the director of the institute, Mukund Das. They have ‘managed’ the media and asked them not to report. The concerned officer, if what the students are telling is true, has personally approached the newspaper offices urging them not to cover the hunger strike. He even contacted a senior opposition leader requesting him not to raise the issue in the state assembly during the current session.

CIMP gives advertisement. But this does not mean that the media should stop highlighting the genuine problem. The students are not demanding something wrong or illegal––nor is the mean wrong. Even if they are indulging in some unethical practice that too should be highlighted. The version of the director or/and the human resources development secretary, Anjani Kumar Singh, should also be given space. But one can not ignore what is happening in such a prestigious institute inaugurated by the Vice President only last year, and that too for so long.

If the civil society and those who make public opinion are silenced then it is not a good omen for democracy. How long can one paper over the loopholes?

*(The author is a Patna-based free-lance journalist.)

Comment

comments...

To open a Management Institue (CIMP) in Bihar on the track of IIM, Nitish Govt had done a well and praiseworthy job. But first time I see that the Nitish Govt's administration or Nitish Kumar himself is supporting a bureaucrat (Director, CIMP) ignoring the career of numbers of Management aspirants. The students go to school/Institute to study and shaping their golden future not to indulge in hunger strike or any illegal operations. There must be some reason, which provoke/insist/force the students to go in this way. This should be examined in a proper way. The negativity in the institute administration can not be find out in the presence of present Director (who is the root cause of all this mal-functioning, according to the students view).

On the demand of 48 students, can Nitish Kumar or his administration not transfer a bureaucrat for time being to some other place? so that, the case should be examined without any hurdle. If Nitish Kumar thinks that his one bureaucrat's ego is more important than the career and future of 48 students, then of course there is no difference between Lalu's Govt and Nitish Govt.

I think CM should himself interfere and examined the case, may be students are wrong, but it should be fair deal, not by crushing /expelling the students without any solid ground.
Vijay Shankar Prasad
High Commission of India, Port Louis
Mauritius

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Indeed , the article exposes the hidden agenda of the media. Covering Bihar as a violent state had been a daily basis pleasure of the media and putting a blackout to the genuine cause shows its hidden agenda.
, , Mr Amarnath argues that the chief minister being the chairman should wakeup and not shy away, will he really wake up and do the needful ? I doubt, the thick skinned politician will ever come out of the slumber ! if Mr Nitish Kumar is the chairman and something goes wrong right under his nose, he should be equally blamed for this apathy.
There is no doubt in saying that mutual interest of the media and state machinery coincides here, and genuine cause is being kept away. The director of the institute in the wake of his anti Bihari statement should be thrown away not only from the institute but also from the state too.
I would like to congratulate Bihar Times ,for their professional approach , at least the administration of the such institute could not dare to reach the Bihar times with their ulterior motives. More over I would like to demand the personal intervention of the vice president of India , HE, Hamid Ansari, as he himself had inaugurated the said prestigious institute & save it from the anarchy.
DR ANWER AHSAN
Dammam, KSA,

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I read your articles on CIMP. Thanks to Mr Soroor Ahmed and Amarnath Tewary for highlighting it.

A very well intentioned scheme of the CM of Bihar has bitten the dust.
I could not but feel extremely sad at this turn of events.

What is it that has led to such a disaster?

The easiest target are the students who can be blamed for being indisciplined. Next would be the "Bihari" attitude. It is quite fashionable to do so.

Or could it be something different?

I remember my uncle narrating to me an incident from the time he was the District Magistrate of Patna in the sixties. Students of Patna Univ were on strike and it was his job to ensure security to the VC, who was also his teacher from his student days. He told me how the VC, a good academic was a complete misfit for an administrative position as that of a VC, how the VC could have defused the situation on a number of occasion, but just failed to see the opportunity, let alone grab it, in spite of being given repeated timely advise.

Could it be that the students need a safety valve so that their grievance could at least be heard?

I remember a professor of Bihar University, a colleague of my father (also a professor), narrating the turbulent times of early seventies when a certain celebrated bureaucrat was made OSD of the university, a virtual super VC. Whatever ill the OSD was supposed to tackle, when he returned from his mission, the university was in tatters, a fate much worse than when he was sent!

A lot of hope was raised when a certain Prof Simhadri took over as the VC of Patna University and things turned better. The exams were held on time. Alas, he has run away since then.

Where are we headed?

Indeed if one were to go by intention, Bihar could not be luckier since Nitish Kumar does mean well. One cant fault the vision too. But these are clearly not good enough. It needs administrative savvy. We need people who can take everyone along and execute the envisioned path. And a lot of selfless service.

In one sense, this is a reality check. A product of a student's (JP) movement is now face to face with a student movement of a different type: not political but one which is demanding academic environment.

I hope and pray that both the leader and the state comes out of this moment of crisis with success.

Thakur Vikas Sinha

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Well written piece on a very right and dare I say even upright issue. Once in a while I do chance upon our electronic media channels and am sorry to say more or less all of them have turned into the extension of soap-opera.
Just think for a second for the owners of those channels what wil they have to gain from few bright students protesting through hunger strike.
Kudos to Bihar times for agitating this issue.
I gather 6 students have been expelled today wonder why.

Anil

I just wanted somehow to let these CIMP students know that there is another way through which they can demand better standard and that will be by consumer forum court. As they have paid heavy amount ot get admitted they should be getting what they were promised.
I also wonder if these students even know if BT is covering their protest.
santosh kumar

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First of all, kudos to Bihar Times(BT) for raising this issue and raking up the departed soul-and-spirit of journalism in Patna…Though, I donot know about others but The Pioneer did cover it as lead story on its nation page [dt: 1 July] with picture of protesting CIMP students…(Students stir against regional bias)

At least, my conscience here does not feel offended by BT piece!!!... perhaps, that long hand of this “Bihar bureaucrat” mentioned in your story could not stretch so long to reach The Pioneer’s office!!...

Yes, its disgusting and reason to be ashamed that these meritorious students belonging to one of “dream projects” of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar have to suffer from such a trauma and ordeal.

Is this a socially injurious activity geared to the interest of internal and external parasitic elements, as the students blame?,,, or, to quote Arvind N Das [currently re-reading] “is the scum which floats to the top in a stagnant pond?”...

Or, despite Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s---also the chairman of the institute--- all sincere and determined efforts are we once again heading towards what Das called in 1992---“Bihar fatigue”?....

Bihar, and the CIMP students on hunger strike, look up to Nitish Kumar—for, he is responsible for raising all our expectations & aspirations---and, needs an answer.

Hope he will wake up and not shy away!..

Amarnath Tewary