New Delhi, May 13: Sarojini Devi and Ramlakhan Ram are easily distinguishable from the 12 hunger strikers at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

A frayed gamchha covers Ram's torn shirt collar while Sarojini covers her head with a sari. They sat in solidarity today with their daughter Chintu Kumari, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike at JNU since April 28.

"When newspapers carried her photograph, after she became a student leader here, people in Ara couldn't believe that a Dalit's daughter was at JNU and had won an election," Ram told The Telegraph. "People from all classes celebrated. We had so many aspirations but no matter how hard we try or how well my daughter does, the shaasan (government) and vyavastha (system) always pull us down."

Ram worked at thread factories in Delhi's Okhla industrial area in the 1990s before joining the CPIML (Liberation). He returned to his village Kaulodihri in Ara district in 2007 to work as a party whole-timer. He and his wife Sarojini Devi are also daily wagers, but they ensured their daughter Chintu studied in Delhi.

Chintu first studied in schools run by the Harijan Sevak Sangh before graduating in political science from Delhi University in 2011. In 2014, she became general secretary of the JNUSU and is now a PhD scholar in political science on a Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship. She has been fined Rs 20,000 for participating in a march against death penalty at JNU on the third death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

"Everyone in our village is very angry with Modi ji. This is Hitler-shahi (fascism)," Ram said. "We struggle and send our children not only to study but also to develop a sense of responsibility to work for those who do not have opportunities. I trust my daughter and we all love our country as much as any politician. They want to punish her for shouting slogans. What justice is this?"

Chintu says her parents have never forced her to live their dreams. "They never asked me to become a bureaucrat. They only kept saying study as much as you want, whatever you want. I am able to stay here because of a scholarship. They haven't even asked me to end my strike," she chuckles feebly. "They're just here to give me strength but by the looks on their faces I know they're worried and scared."

The 26-year-old is the eldest of four siblings.

Delhi High Court today directed JNU students to end all "dharnas, agitation and strikes" on any issue and wait for vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar to act on their appeals. Kumar has written to parents of those on hunger strike telling them to ask their children to end their stir. This has drawn criticism from both students and teachers as an "inappropriate" way to deal with students and scholars who are adults.

"I want to meet the VC and tell him that this is not the way to deal with young and intelligent people. He should know better," said Ram. "This repression threatens the present and future of JNU. They want us poor people, whose meritorious children win scholarships, not to study here and speak their mind and write what they want and read what they like."

Sarojini, who kept quiet through the conversation, added: " Hamra haq ke liye itna saal ladein Bhojpur ma (We've fought for our rights for years in Bhojpur). Chintu and her friends will also defend their rights. I am here because I couldn't sit quietly when my daughter is starving."