Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Students of Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) intensified their ongoing protests against a recently-introduced rule making attendance mandatory for classes. They ‘gheraoed’ (surrounded) the University’s administration building and held loud protests.

Students and members of the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) raised slogans directed against the administration and demanded an immediate rollback of the rule. They sought a meeting with JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar, whose resignation was also one of their demands.

Students were protesting against a circular issued by JNU’s governing body on 9 February that had made attendance mandatory for all classes. The circular had declared that students who contravened this rule would be debarred from appearing for exams, their fellowship will be cancelled, and their medical and hostel facilities would be revoked.

JNUSU had issued a statement in this regard stating that students were protesting against this rule peacefully and they were not restricting movement of any officials. The accused the administration led by the Vice Chancellor of evading dialogue with them.

During a hearing concerning 2016’s fiasco involving Kanhaiya Kumar when anti-India slogans were allegedly raised on campus, the Delhi High Court had prohibited students from protesting within a radius of 100 metres of the central administration building. The court had also declared that the university administration could seek the police’s help to maintain law and order on campus.

JNU’s Registrar Pramod Kumar quoted that order to explain that the ongoing protests by students were illegal. He promised that the administration will meet students and hear their grievances if they stopped protesting and left the premises peacefully.

By dhruv