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For protesting against facial recognition, JNU rusticates 5 students for 2 semesters, fines each of them Rs 20K

According to the order against Nitish, a PhD scholar at the Centre for Political Studies, the university found him guilty of destroying the FRT access gates “installed at the cost of about Rs 20 lakh” at the library.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 3, 2026 09:04 AM IST

A total of 7,751 students are likely to vote in the upcoming students union elections at Jawaharlal Nehru University

JNU rusticated former JNUSU president Nitish Kumar and four office-bearers for two semesters, barred campus entry and imposed fines over library gate vandalism. (Facebook/JNU)

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has rusticated its former students’ union president Nitish Kumar and four JNUSU office-bearers for two semesters, barred them from entering the campus, and imposed fines on them for vandalising facial recognition technology (FRT)-based access gates at its Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library during protests held last year.

In a series of orders issued by the Office of the Chief Proctor on Monday, the university concluded that the students were involved in what it described as serious acts of violence, coercion and extensive damage to the university property during the incident on November 21 last year. According to the orders, Nitish and the four others — Gopika Babu, Aditi Mishra, Sunil Yadav and Danish Ali — have been “rusticated for two semesters (Winter and Monsoon Semester 2026)” and “declared out of bounds from the entire JNU campus with immediate effect”. A fine of Rs 20,000 has also been imposed on each of them.

According to the order against Nitish, a PhD scholar at the Centre for Political Studies, the university found him guilty of destroying the FRT access gates “installed at the cost of about Rs 20 lakh” at the library. “Mr. Nitish Kumar cut the wires of the FRT system with scissors brought by these students, proving that the act of vandalism was premeditated,” the order stated, adding that he “forcibly pulled out the cameras and camera stands installed on the machines” and “uprooted the machines by dismantling the panels”. The order also recorded allegations of violence against security staff. Separate orders issued to the JNUSU office-bearers detail their individual roles in the same incident.

The order against Gopika, JNUSU Vice President and a PhD scholar at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, stated that she “vandalised the FRT system” along with Aditi, Sunil, Danish and Nitish. It alleged that she “forcibly pulled out the cameras and camera stands installed on the machines” and later “stood on the dismantled panels and delivered a provocative speech justifying the act of vandalism”.

In JNUSU President Aditi’s case, the university recorded that she “cut the wires of the FRT system with scissors,” and dismantled panels of the machines. ‘

“She did not heed the repeated requests by the security personnel to stop damaging the machines and rather she showed utter disrespect to them,” it added.

Similar orders were issued to General Secretary Sunil, and Joint Secretary Danish.

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The orders highlighted multiple violations of Statute 32(5) of the university’s code, including Category III offences covering “all acts of violence and all forms of coercion”, “damaging or defacing, in any form, any property of the University”, and “any other act which may be considered by the Vice-Chancellor or any other competent authority to be an act of violation of discipline and conduct”.

The university said a Proctorial Inquiry Committee was constituted after complaints were received from the Acting Librarian and the Chief Security Officer. The orders stated that show-cause notices were issued, but the committee found the replies were “not satisfactory and insufficient to dislodge the findings arrived at during the inquiry”

The Indian Express reached out to university officials for comment through calls and messages, but did not receive a response.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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