JNU protest Highlights: For the past three weeks, students have been protesting inside the administration block of the university against the increase in hostel fee, even though JNU announced a rollback last Wednesday.
JNU students protest Highlights: Several JNU students were injured when Delhi Police baton-charged protestors as they marched towards Parliament on the first day of Winter Session on Monday demanding a total rollback of the hostel fee hike. Many students were detained but later released.
Earlier today, the protesting students sat at Safdurjung Tomb, demanding the release of those detained and a meeting with officials of the ministry. The top brass of Delhi police tried to initiate a dialogue with them and urged them to not take law into their hands.
For the past three weeks, students have been protesting inside the administration block of the university against the increase in hostel fee, even though JNU announced a rollback last Wednesday. The union said it will be a march to save public education and appeal to MPs to take up the cause.
JNU students during the protest in Delhi last week. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
The JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) will stage a protest tomorrow at 4 pm against the "police brutality" on protesting students, and demand the VC's resignation. The body said the venue for the protest would be announced after consultation with JNUSU.
Office-bearers of JNU Students Union (JNUSU) were escorted by police to meet the HRD secretary as thousands of protestors camping outside the Safdarjung tomb were allegedly forced by the police to go back to the campus, news agency PTI reported.
Meanwhile, the detained students have been released.
"The Delhi Police staff acted with restraint all along and, despite continued defiance by some groups of students, methods of persuasion were resorted to, and there was no use of water cannons, tear gas shells or lathi-charge at any stage of the protest," the force said in a statement.
"Women staff had been deployed in adequate numbers to deal with female protestors. Apart from 10 companies of CAPF, around 800 Delhi Police personnel were deployed to handle the protest and ensure the maintenance of law and order," it added.
Delhi Police attempts to remove JNU students who are protesting near Safdarjung Tomb, demanding complete fee rollback along with other demands.
Another clash between Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and the Delhi police. Lathicharge on students again.
JNU students continue to protest
The Delhi Police Monday urged the protesting JNU students not to take law in their hands and to maintain peace as thousands of agitators continued with their march to Parliament.
"We are trying to mediate talks with the JNU students. Sufficient force have been deployed. We told them not to take law in their hands, block roads and cause inconvenience to the public. We are trying to convince them and hopefully, we will be able to solve the matter soon," Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Deputy Police Commissioner (Central) as well as the Delhi Police PRO, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"Entry or exit at Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat have been opened. Trains are halting at all 3 stations. Entry/exit gates for Lok Kalyan Marg are still closed and trains will not be halting at the station," DMRC tweeted.
Raising the issue of protest by JNU students, BSP member Danish Ali demanded in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the government should ensure that poor students were not denied the facility of higher education for an affordable fee.
He regretted that the education system of the country was being privatised and corporatised under the rule of the BJP.
The government should look into the demands of poor students and take appropriate action, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member said during the Zero Hour. (PTI)
"NSUI strongly condemns the police brutality in JNU today, directed against students who are exercising their democratic right to affordable education. We support the students' demand for a complete rollback of the hostel manual, which has increased hostel fees to the highest in all Central universities and education unaffordable for about 40 per cent of the students. This is also a necessary condition for any kind of good-faith talks with the Govt/Admin," the student wing of Congress party said in a statement.
A number of JNU students were detained and some injured when the police baton-charged and stopped them at many places. Several leaders of the agitation were detained by the police.
Traffic also went out of gear on the Nelson Mandela Marg, Aurobindo Marg and Baba Gangnath Marg among other intersections. (PTI)
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation: As advised by Delhi Police, trains are not halting at Lok Kalyan Marg and entry/exit gates of the station have also been closed temporarily.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation: As advised by Delhi police, trains are not halting at Udyog Bhawan and Patel Chowk. Exit/Entry Gates for Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat have been closed temporarily.
Traffic in some parts of the Lutyens' Delhi has been affected after the JNU students, protesting against the increased hostel fee, marched towards Parliament, police said on Monday.
Vehicles on Nelson Mandela Marg, Aurobindo Marg and Baba Gang Nath Marg are heading at a snail's pace, news agency PTI reported.
"Will keep sitting here till our detained comrades are brought here. MHRD should also include in its notification that till the committee submits its report, new hostel manual should be kept in abeyance," JNUSU Vice President Saket Moon said.
JNU student's march to Parliament was stopped by Police near Safdarjung Tomb.
Lathi charge on students near Safdarjung Tomb. Students have parked themselves on the road and are refusing to move.
In a statement, JNUSU said:
1. The MHRD must announce the withdrawal of both illegal draft IHA manual and the illegal Executive Council decisions about its adoption are kept in abeyance.
2. The JNUSU, which is the elected representatives of the students, and the JNUTA must be treated as stakeholders. An explicit assurance must be given that any decision on the manual will be taken as per the proper and established process.
3. The established process in JNU cannot and must not be short-circuited in the name of any high powered committee decisions. The JNUSU, as the elected representative of the students, is part of this established process and any intervention on the JNU issue must explicitly invite the active participation of JNUSU. This high powered committee must not be set a precedent but be a corrective.
4. The MHRD should hold the JNU VC and his administration accountable as he is responsible for the disruption in the normal functioning of JNU. The terms of reference of the MHRD committee cannot be merely to “advise the university administration”. The JNUSU reiterates its demand that the JNU VC must be removed for his complete mismanagement of the university.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) in a statement claimed that the university students were 'brutally attacked' by the police and CRPF during the protest.
"The police used brutal force to disrupt our peaceful march and several students have been injured. Many students, including the office bearers, have been detained," the student's body said in a statement.
JNU students march takes U-turn As JNU students were not allowed to move towards Ber Sarai, the March has taken a U-turn. Students to deviate from the planned route.
Students took out the march carrying banners that read "save public education", "fees must fall" and "ensure affordable hostels for all". Another student, who did not wish to be named, said, "We haven't seen our VC (vice-chancellor) in a long time. It's time that he comes out and talks to us. Instead of appealing to us through teachers and other methods, he should initiate a dialogue with us."
"We are being given a lollipop in terms of the partial rollback. I am the first from my family to reach university. There are many others like me. Education is not the birthright of a privileged few," Priyanka, another student, said.
Coming in support of the protesting JNU students, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said, "JNU under seige; such a massive deployment of forces was not seen even during the Emergency. A peaceful protest march to Parliament against the unprecedented fee hikes is being forcibly stopped by the police. Strongly condemn this denial of basic democratic right to protest."
Students break second set of barriers as JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, JNUSU secretary Satish Yadav and former JNUSU President N Sai Balaji among others are taken away by police.
Akshat, a JNU student, told PTI, "The students' union has not been informed by the ministry about the formation of a panel. The administration officials and the panel should speak to the elected union to solve the issue."
Former JNU Students' Union president N Sai Balaji said, "Delhi Police stops JNU students peaceful march to parliamentarians! The Mhrd is fooling students by forming committee. Why didn't the committee suspend fee hike till dialogue is happening? We are demanding a rollback of the fee hike."
JNU students protest against fee hike in New Delhi on Monday. (Express photo/Aranya Shankar)
Water cannons and more barricades have been placed near Kendriya Vidyalaya, Baba Gangnath Marg. The cops have also asked students to disperse or face action.
Students break barricade at the main gate of the varsity and head towards Ber Sarai where more barricades are in place.
Mohd Salim and K K Ragesh attended the event. Addressing the gathering, Mohd Salim said: “Your anger is absolutely legitimate. All of us would never have been able to enter higher education if the public-funded university system did not exist in our country.” K K Ragesh said he was “cautioned” by the Registrar not to attend the meeting. “Even when I entered campus, some security personnel told me the meeting has been cancelled…”
The registrar invoked academic rules and a Delhi HC directive to say that “hunger strikes, dharnas and other peaceful and democratic forms of protest” can only be held 100 metres away from the administrative block.
Former and present MPs, who were invited by students to address a public meeting at JNU on Sunday, received letters from the varsity’s registrar asking them not to attend the meeting. The guests included MPs K K Ragesh (CPI-M), Manoj Jha (RJD), Binoy Viswam (CPI), K Somaprasad (CPI), Elamaram Kareem (CPI-M) and former MP Mohammad Salim (CPI-M). The subject of the meeting was ‘The JNU fee hike and the crisis of public-funded education’. In his letter to the MPs, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar wrote: “You are requested not to address the said protest meeting, as its venue falls in the close vicinity of JNU’s administrative block, which is a prohibited area… for holding such activity.”
Cops on standby as the protest march is about to begin.
All roads leading to the university have been barricaded ahead of the march. Even pedestrians are not being allowed to go beyond a point.
Section 144 has been imposed near the Parliament ahead of the protest march by JNU students.
The Union HRD Ministry has appointed a high power committee to hold discussion with students and administration for peaceful resolution of all issues.
Police officials said adequate security arrangements have also been made along the route of the march. Police personnel have been deployed at all entry points leading to Parliament, a senior police official said.
The JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) expressed concern over the deployment of police outside the varsity. "The massive police deployment and barricading at the gates of the JNU campus, which on the face of it appears to be only for the purpose of preventing the students from taking out their planned march to Parliament," it said. "Such measures or use of force to thwart the exercise of constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights and to impede the students from peacefully taking their voice beyond the campus would be extremely unfortunate and the JNUTA hopes that no such situation will eventually arise," the association said.
Ten companies are deployed outside JNU, police said, PTI reported. One company comprises 70 to 80 personnel.
Associate Dean of students welfare Vandana Mishra — who claimed she was held captive inside a classroom for 28 hours by students during the protest — alleged the entire protest was “political prejudice turning to political animosity”. “At the time, I was only presented with a list of demands, with names of the four so-called students’ union office-bearers, because me signing it would mean they were notified. There was no interest in reducing fee,” she alleged.
Dean (Students Welfare) Umesh Kadam, who was also at the press conference, said he supports protests but not an “undemocratic protest” and that the administration was not going to enter into a dialogue with an “un-notified union”. “We have not notified the union because the election committee announced the poll results arbitrarily. The committee had submitted the result to the dean of students’ office in a sealed envelope, when the High Court had put a stay on its announcement. The envelope is still lying with me. Why should we talk to them when they are not notified?” he said.
Neither teachers nor Dean (Students Welfare) Umesh Kadam were able to shed light on who comprise “BPL students”. “… I’ve been told that different states have different income levels for it. Perhaps it will be different for students from different states and they will have to produce certificates accordingly… It is very difficult to define,” said Mohapatra.
Appealing for peace, five JNU teachers — Majhar Asif, Aswini Mohapatra, Pawan Dhar, Nagendra Sriniwas and Girish Nath Jha — said it is “difficult for the university to extend further concessions”. “We would like to appeal to students to attend classes. They have to complete their exams before December 23. Dedicated teachers are trying to complete the syllabus but are struggling to take classes. It will be very difficult for the university to adjust the semester, and students will be the biggest losers,” said Mohapatra.
“From tomorrow, the new week is going to start. I would like to appeal to all of you to return to your classes and resume research activities. From December 12, your end-semester exams will start; if you don’t attend classes and participate in the exams, it will affect your future academic goals,” Kumar added.
“In the last two weeks, academic activities in the university have suffered greatly because some students are on strike… As you know, the IHA committee and dean of students, provosts and senior wardens are in the process of discussing with the hostel presidents to listen to their concerns about the hostels. Recently, in the Executive Council meeting, the draft manual was also discussed and many students’ concerns were taken into consideration. The charges to be paid are only 50% for BPL (below poverty line) students and many other concessions have also been given. In spite of this, if we continue with the strike, it will lead to academic loss which will affect futures of thousands of students,” JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said in his message.
Reaching out via a video message to students protesting over the hostel fee hike, JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar Sunday appealed to them to return to their classrooms and research activities from Monday as not doing so will jeopardise their academic goals. Registrar Pramod Kumar also published a circular Sunday, stating that there will be no relaxation of exam and dissertation submission deadlines. It stated that students who do not clear the requisite number of courses and examinations, and do not maintain the requisite CGPA, “will be dropped from the JNU roll list”.
Students are protesting inside the administration block of the university against the increase in hostel fee, even though JNU announced a rollback in the hike on Wednesday evening. The students have dubbed the partial rollback as an “eyewash”.
Ahead of the protest march, security has been deployed outside the varsity in the national capital.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union (JNUSU) today will take out a march towards Parliament to protest against the hostel fee hike. The union said it will be a march to save public education and appeal to MPs to take up the cause. The Winter session of Parliament begins today and will continue till December 13. Follow our blog for all the latest updates.