Students occupying admin block a criminal offence: JNU administration

As students continued to occupy the administrative building, the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration said that their act was a “criminal offence” due which official and academic works were affected.

As students continued to occupy the administrative building, the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration said that their act was a “criminal offence” due which official and academic works were affected.

JNU students have occupied the administrative building since Thursday protesting against the University Grants Commission notification that will alter the university’s admission policy. (Vipin Kumar/ HT File Photo)

The students have occupied the administrative building since Thursday protesting against the University Grants Commission (UGC) notification that will alter the university’s admission policy. The policy is set to result in seat cuts leading to no admission in the MPhil, Phd programmes at several centres of the varsity. This is because the UGC notification puts a cap on the number of students a professor can provide guidance.

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In December last year, the administration had barred students from protesting at the admin block.

The students demand that the administration meet representatives from different centres, while vice chancellor Jagadesh Kumar wants to meet representatives of the JNU students union.

“It’s sad that I am unable to sign salary papers for the poor contractual labourers due to illegal occupation of admin building. Medical claim bills, fellowship papers, PhD viva documents couldn’t be processed on Friday due to illegal occupation,” said Pramod Kumar, JNU registrar on twitter. Kumar said he was also stopped from entering the building on Saturday.

The VC also added that despite request from top JNU officials several times, the students refused to “end illegal occupation of the administration building”.

The JNUSU said that the #OccupyAdBlock will continue and demanded that the part B meeting of the academic council, in which the UGC regulation was passed, be reconvened.

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“We have written to the parliamentary committee for OBC welfare and the parliamentary committee for ST/SC Welfare as this UGC notification is a direct attack on the principles of social justice enforced by the Constitution,” said Mohit K Pandey, JNUSU president.

On Tuesday, the teachers association has called for a march to Parliament to protest against the forceful implementation of the notification. They have already taken the matter with the President of India Pranab Mukherjee and asked him to intervene, by virtue of being the visitor of the varsity.