JNUSU asks to take back new CPO manual; wall posters, protest will lead to fine of Rs 20,000

NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) has voiced against the new manual of the Chief Proctor ‘compromising the autonomy of the student community’. The students union has demanded administration to take back the ‘dictatorial CPO manual’.

Wall posters and graffiti will lead to expulsion, rustication, eviction from the hostel and fine of Rs 20,000.

According to the new manual, protests before any academic building will lead to rustication, eviction from the hostel and a fine of Rs.20,000. “A student who commits any act that the JNU Admin considers to be of moral turpitude can be fined up to Rs 10,000. Moreover, any act that the VC or any ‘competent authority’ considers to be an act of indiscipline can lead to rustication, eviction from the hostel and a fine of Rs.20,000.”

“The stringent measures outlined in the manual are aimed at stifling the vibrant campus culture that has defined JNU for decades,” it added. Expressing concerns, the students said the regulations are intended to discourage open discussions, dissent, and intellectual exploration, which are fundamental to the spirit of our university.

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The group said that the administration has carried out a ‘political vendetta’ against students raising student community issues.

The JNUSU claimed that the manual lacks clarity on crucial aspects leaving room for ‘arbitrary implementation’.

Giving an example, the students group said: “Such ambiguous rules can lead to unfair and discriminatory practices, jeopardizing the rights of individual students. For example, for the Modi government and their puppets sitting in the JNU Administration, any act of criticizing the current regime constitutes anti-national activity and the current manual entitles the office of the Chief Proctor to punish students for such acts of speaking against the regime.”

It also raised concerns on lack of journals, disrupted water supply, hostel buildings, delayed hostel admissions, and shortened semesters among others.