Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has directed the revocation of the rustication of five students following a 17-day hunger strike by members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU). The students called off their strike on Tuesday after discussions with a committee headed by the university’s dean.
In a letter signed by Dean of the School of Social Sciences Vivek Kumar, the university said the rustication of JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, vice-president K Gopika Babu, general secretary Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali and Nitish Kumar had been revoked with immediate effect. The students were also advised to pay their respective fines.
The union had been demanding the reinstatement of its rusticated office-bearers, along with changes to university disciplinary rules, improvements in hostel facilities and greater accountability in administrative decisions, the FoEJ Media learnt.
According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), JNUSU maintained that it is an elected representative body with a mandate from around 9,000 students, rather than merely a student group. It said its office-bearers were elected through independent election committees and formally notified by the Dean of Students’ office. The union also raised allegations of corruption in university recruitment and questioned the administration’s accountability in the use of taxpayers’ money.
The university committee agreed to withdraw all FIRs against the students and constitute a committee, including a JNUSU office-bearer and an elected student representative, to review and remove contentious clauses from the CPO manual. It also agreed to form a committee on the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE) with JNUSU representation and establish a committee on hostel reservations that would include union office-bearers. Additionally, proctorial enquiries initiated during protests against rustication, UGC regulations and hostel infrastructure will be withdrawn.
JNUSU’s demands included the withdrawal of the CPO manual and revocation of the rustication of its office-bearers, along with the reinstatement of the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) and the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE). The union also sought an end to the university’s complete dependence on outsourced agencies for admissions and called for functional mess and Wi-Fi facilities at Barak Hostel.
The students demanded urgent renovation of hostels, expanded library seating, round-the-clock functioning of lifts and essential facilities in Kaveri, Periyar and Godavari hostels, renovation of Teflas cafeteria and KC OAT, repairs to campus roads, a comprehensive stadium renovation, gender-neutral washrooms, reforms to the university Health Centre and a canteen at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance (CSLG).
Their demands also included an audit of mess bills, an increase in Merit-cum-Means (MCM) scholarships, extending MCM eligibility to School of Engineering students and decentralising the approval process for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) payments. The union sought reforms to the Equal Opportunity Cell in line with the principles of the Rohith Act, along with an annual independent audit of its functioning. It also called for the removal of the Siddhanta Knowledge Foundation from university-related academic and administrative functions.
JNUSU further demanded the restoration of its union fund and meaningful student representation in academic councils and other university committees. It called for guaranteed hostel accommodation until PhD thesis submission, with transparent implementation of reservation policies in hostel allotments, and sought an independent inquiry into alleged recruitment irregularities involving the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) and Kumaraswamy, the JNUSU told FoEJ Media.
