JNU students protest disciplinary action by varsity over acts of ‘activism’

The protest meeting, held outside the administrative block of JNU, saw a group of students equivocally condemning the alleged “autocratic and authoritarian” regime at the university.

A group of 15-odd students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, including members of the students union, staged a protest on Monday against the alleged disciplinary action taken against multiple students for acts of “activism”.

The protest meeting, held outside the administrative block of JNU, saw a group of students equivocally condemning the alleged “autocratic and authoritarian” regime at the university. (Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO)

They burnt documents containing the order that around 10-odd students will not be allowed to register for the new academic session.

The protest meeting, held outside the administrative block of JNU, saw a group of students equivocally condemning the alleged “autocratic and authoritarian” regime at the university.

They students set fire to the order signed by the chief proctor that claims 14 students have been restricted from registering for the new semester.

The order said they were found guilty of misconduct by a probe committee in two separate incidents.

Students found guilty of unlawfully confining JNU authorities, during the protests following Najeeb Ahmed’s disappearance and disrupting Academic Council proceedings, have been barred from registering for the new session unless they pay a fine, a JNU official said.

The list of students includes JNUSU members and Umar Khalid, among others.

Mohit Pandey, who is one of the 14 students and the president of JNUSU, claimed the procedure was against the rules of the university, as they were not allowed to restrict the registrations of any student.

However, officials maintained they were within their rights to do so. “In case you are fined, or are found guilty of anything illegal, the university can stop registrations... Students can register when they clear the fines. Two students have already paid the fine,” said the official.

JNUSU members have said that they may consider legal recourse, unless the decision is not revoked.