92 per cent JNU students ‘reject’ UGC guidelines on safety

As many as 92 per cent of students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have rejected the guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the safety of students, according to a ‘referendum’ held by the Democratic Students’ Federation.

The UGC guidelines advocated the construction of walls at a certain height, barbed wires, installation of CCTV cameras, introducing a system of biometric attendance and presence of police personnel within campuses, among other measures.

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“Overall, 1,678 students participated in the referendum, of which 1,545 voted against it, 87 voted in favour, 43 votes were counted as invalid and three were blank. The voting was held outside classes, libraries and dhabas in two phases — in the morning and in the evening,” said DSF secretary Ishan Anand.

DSF activists claimed the result of the referendum was a reflection of the students’ recognition that the guidelines “will turn universities into jails”.