JNUSU protest ends after JNU agrees to revoke 5 rustications
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Members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) Tuesday called off their 17-day indefinite protest after the university administration agreed to meet their demands: withdrawing FIRs against students, reviewing contentious clauses in the Chief Proctor’s Office (CPO) manual, and revoking the rustication of five students.
The development came after a meeting on Monday between student representatives and a committee headed by the Dean of the School of Social Sciences (SSS).
1. Revoking rustication of five students: In a notice dated October 19, Dean of SSS Prof Vivek Kumar said the Vice-Chancellor had directed the university to revoke the rustication of five students with immediate effect. The students, including JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, vice-president K Gopika Babu and general secretary Sunil Yadav, have been advised to pay their respective fines immediately.
2. CPO manual: The university will constitute a committee, that will include a JNUSU office-bearer and an elected student representative, to review contentious clauses in the CPO manual, which lays out “rules of discipline and proper conduct of students.
3. Hostel audits: The university has agreed to initiate structural audits of Tapti and Mahi-Mandavi hostels and Teflas cafeteria. Geysers in all hostels are to be made functional within two weeks, it said.
The administration also agreed to open a canteen in the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance (CSLG), keep school libraries open until 9 pm, and form a committee to examine the reopening of the Barak Hostel mess and provision of WiFi.
-JNU also agreed to withdraw proctorial enquiries initiated during protests against the UGC regulations and hostel infrastructure.
-The committee also agreed to recommend discontinuing Siddhanta Knowledge Foundation, a university initiative that students said posed difficulties for those without electronic gadgets and raised concerns about its curriculum.
-It said committees will be formed on hostel reservation and the Joint Entrance Examination (JNUEE), with JNUSU office-bearers represented in both.
-The varsity said it will provide an audit report on the Equal Opportunity Cell (EOC) within a week and reorganise the cell with JNUSU office-bearers. A 25% increase in Merit-cum-Means (MCM) scholarships will be considered and recommended, it said.
The minutes also stated that the committee will meet again after 14 working days to take forward the demands and discuss how to implement them.
The university administration, in a statement on Monday, said a committee had held discussions with the students on October 9 and October 14. It said the students had ended their hunger strike after assurances during the October 9 meeting, while the later discussions continued over their demands. The administration also said the university’s Chief Medical Officer had been checking the health of students on strike daily.
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