Ludhiana, Oct. 19 -- The Veterinary Students' Union, which has been on a sit-in protest for 24 days now has announced that they won't celebrate the upcoming festival of Diwali, as their longstanding demand of increasing the stipend for veterinary interns remains unaddressed.

The union, in a press release issued on Saturday, said that the decision reflects the growing discontent among the students, who have been on a peaceful, indefinite strike for the last 24 days at the university's veterinary hospital.

"Despite the prolonged nature of the protest, no government minister has yet visited the site or directly engaged with the students. The union has repeatedly requested a meeting with Punjab's finance minister, Harpal Singh Cheema, but n...