The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has entered the 12th day of their indefinite hunger strike announced on October 3.
The students declared the strike with a charter of 13 demands including rolling back Chief Proctor Office (CPO) Manual, revoking rustication of JNUSU office bearers, reinstating Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) and JNU entrance exam JNUEE, among others. As per a JNUSU press release dated October 3, the students are seeking the “immediate resolution of a series of longstanding academic, infrastructural, social justice, welfare and democratic concerns affecting students across the university. Reportedly, on October 12, after 9 days of the strike, the administration initiated a second round of negotiations.
A discussion took place between the JNUSU office, councillors, associate deans Dr Poonguzhali N and Jaikhlong Basumatary, dean of students, and the dean of School of Social Sciences (SSS). A few days prior, JNUSU had alleged that the JNU Vice-Chancellor (VC) had sent the chief security officer (CSO) to threaten the hunger strikers.
In a video shared by the student union, the cso can be heard telling the students that they are violating their bail conditions and said that only registered students can take part in the strike. “This might extend your rustication”, he stated.
Additionally, in a notice issued on October 9, the university has asked JNUSU president and PhD student Aditi Mishra to appear before a proctorial committee on October 22 over allegations of manhandling security personnel and damaging campus property during a September 8 protest.
Earlier in February, 14 JNU students including three office bearers and AISA president Neha Bora were sent to Tihar jail following a “Long March” to the Ministry of Education.
Delhi Police, however, had barricaded the university gates before the students could march to the ministry.
The administration had also ordered Mishra and another student to vacate their hostel rooms and warned that their rooms will be double-locked if they failed to comply.
