JNU spends Rs 13 Lakh to host spiritual guru Ravi Shankar, JNUSU calls strike

JNUSU calls two-day strike to protest administration spending Rs 13 lakh to host spiritual gurus, even as funds are cut for students’ welfare.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has called for a two-day strike to protest against the administration allegedly spending a sum of around Rs 13 lakh to host spiritual leaders in the varsity.

The students will sit on a protest demonstration against the alleged “financial corruption” by the administration on January 8 and 9, JNUSU said in a statement. (File Photo)

The students will sit on a protest demonstration against the alleged “financial corruption” by the administration on January 8 and 9, JNUSU said in a statement.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the student’s union alleged that “The university spent this huge amount, even as the vice-chancellor had denied registration to a visually challenged student, Munesh, who was failed by the Centre for Japanese Studies due to lack of facilities such as Braille, JAWS software and a scribe for the university lacked funds to provide the necessary infrastructure”.

The amount of expenditure was revealed in an RTI response filed by the students’ union.

“The JNU V-C spent nearly ₹87,000 alone on flight tickets for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for a programme hosted by the administration. The university has spent ₹2.3 lakh on Sri Sri’s programme while ₹1.19 lakh was spent for hosting Sadhguru on campus under the budget head of annual day celebration”, it further said.

Despite repeated attempts, officials in the university administration could not be reached for comment over the allegations.

The students’ union leaders said the expenditure was made even as the university had recently administered an 80% cut in the funds to the library. They also alleged that the university has still not completely disbursed the amount for the merit-cum-means scholarships meant for BA-MA students.

“This extravaganza by the administration is part of a larger policy of Modi government for destruction of public education and universities through fund cuts, seats cuts, decimation of reservations and so on,” JNUSU said in the statement.