Noida: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has filed a complaint with the police in connection with the “vandalism” at the varsity’s administration block.
The JNU vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar also urged the agitating students to call off their protests, saying dialogue “cannot be dictated through coercion and illegal methods.”
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) said that instead of initiating a dialogue, the administration has began to release “thinly veiled threats” to teachers and students.
The V-C also requested JNU teachers to appeal to the disgruntled students to end their agitation, which is hampering the “studies of thousands of students on the campus” who are preparing for their end-semester examinations.
“The JNU administration would always like to engage in a dialogue and discussion, but the process and form of any such interaction cannot be dictated through coercion and illegal methods. No dialogue in this form will be fruitful,” he said.
The university administration, after facing two weeks of protests, rolled back the hostel fee hike partially for the below poverty line (BPL) students not availing any scholarship. Students have dubbed the move as “eyewash.”
The V-C requested the teachers to make an extra effort to convince the students that the changes in hostel charges are not only “reasonable but vital for the financial viability of the hostels.”
“It is our duty and responsibility to keep JNU on the path of becoming a globally renowned university, for which peace and normalcy have to be restored in the campus. I hope you will do your best in our mission of making JNU an island of learning and enviable recognition,” he said.
The persistent agitations and protests by a section of students have adversely affected the university’s normal academic and research activities, Mr Kumar said.
The students on strike have continued to press their demand for complete withdrawal of the hostel manual, he said.
