Nine visually challenged students from Jawaharlal Nehru University called off their indefinite hunger strike on Friday after authorities assured them that immediate steps will be taken to address the stray dog menace on the campus. 

They were on strike for the last two days. 

According to Sandeep, convenor of JNU visually challenged students' forum, the campus has some 700 stray dogs. Over 20 blind students have been bitten by them in the last two years.

“We have been raising this issue since the last four years. There are instances when the dog does not even bark, it silently jumps and scratches or bites us. The  feeding points for dogs are also near the three hostels housing the differently challenged,” said Sandeep.

The students said the recent cases of dog bites had instilled a fear in the minds of the other visually challenged students as well. 

“Mostly dogs are found around dhabas and institutional areas which the students also frequent. Now when a bites, the other students also refuse to go out of their rooms in fear,” said Vikas Sharma, a postgraduate visually challenged student.

The protesters had demanded reducing the dog population on the campus and shifting their  feeding points. They also wanted clear instructions to stop people coming from outside to feed the dogs. 

The administration has accepted their demand to equip the health centre in the campus with dog bite vaccination and medicines.

“The University has tied up with an animal welfare NGO to bring about immediate solutions. The MCD will come on Saturday to pick up and sterilise ill and unstable dogs,” said Sidharth, one of the protesters.

However, the NGO members and authorities have told students that relocating dogs to other areas in the city is not a viable option because a Supreme Court order prevents that.

If any differently abled student is bitten, he will now be taken to the hospital and later dropped back in the University ambulance. Initially, the rule only said about taking the victim to a hospital, according to Sandeep.

A committee has also been set up keeping in view the demand of the students to make the campus disabled friendly. The committee will include differently abled students as members.A senior official said the focus now was on sterilisation of dogs. 

“The University is not entirely disabled friendly in terms of infrastructure. We have been given a budget recently to make the necessary changes,” the official add