JNU students announce march to Parl, V-C says return to class
Students’ in JNU are struggling for their rights for three weeks. We invite all students of Delhi to join us as we march on to Parliament on the first day of the winter session. AISHE GHOSH, president, JNUSU
NEW DELHI: The row over hike in hostel fee at the Jawaharlal Nehru University may intensity with the students announcing a march to the Parliament on Sunday to press their demand for a complete rollback.
However, following the announcement by the students, univesrity vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar appealed to them to resume classes.
In a statement on Sunday, JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh urged students from other universities in Delhi to join them in the march from the campus to the Parliament.
“Students’ in JNU are struggling for their rights for the last three weeks. We invite all students of Delhi, to join us as we march on foot from JNU to the Parliament on the first day of the winter session. We also would like to appeal to students outside Delhi to organise protest gatherings on the 18th of November to mark a National Day of Protest, to safeguard education as a right, and oppose its transformation into a commodity,” she said.
The vice-chancellor, in a video message released on the university’s official website, said parents of students from across the country are contacting him to express concerns about the loss of academics activities due to the ongoing students’ protests.
He said the administration has taken note of the students’ demand and partially rolled back the hiked fee for those from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
“If we still continue with the strike and cause academic loss, it is going to affect the future of thousands of students. From tomorrow, a new week will begin and I request the students to come back to the classes and resume your research activities. From December 12 the semester exams will start and if you do not attend the classes it will affect your future goals,” he said.
Student groups have been protesting for the past three weeks against changes to the hostel manual and a proposed hostel fee hike.
On Monday, around 1,500 students had gathered outside the AICTE building, where the university’s third convocation was being held, and blocked Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, the guest of honour at the event, the V-C and other dignitaries from leaving the premises for several hours. They were later escorted out with the help of police and security personnel.
Although the administration on Wednesday partially rolled back the fee hike for students from poor families, students demanded a complete withdrawal of the hostel manual.
The Delhi Police on Saturday registered a first information report (FIR) on university’s complaint against at least a dozen persons for allegedly defacing the administrative building and vandalising a statue of Swami Vivekananda at JNU on Wednesday during a students’ protest. Police are yet to make any arrest.
JNU registrar Pramod Kumar, in a statement issued on Sunday, also requested students to get back to classes. He said the last date for submission of Mphil dissertation and PHD thesis in the schools and forwarding the same to the evaluation branch is December 31 for the monsoon semester.
“Since the academic calender has been approved by the Academic Council and the Executive Council, there is going to be no relaxation in the above deadlines. If the academic requirements are not met in time, thousands of students may be affected damaging their future career prospects,” the registrar said.