JNUSU ends 17-day hunger strike after admin agrees to withdraw FIRs, revoke rustication of students

After 17 days, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has ended its hunger strike after the JNU administration agreed to accept their demands. The authority has agreed to revoke the suspension of student officer-bearers and withdraw FIRs against other protesters.

JNU vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandi has directed the JNU administration to revoke the rustication of five students with “immediate effects,” the PTI reported.

The five students are Aditi Mishra, K Gopika Babu, Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali and Nitish Kumar. The first four names are the current office bearers of JNUSU and the last is the former JNUSU president, the report read.

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JNU to form panel to examine hostel reservation

Moreover, the proctorial inquiries initiated during protests against rustication and University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, along with the hostel infrastructure protest, would also be withdrawn, it said.

The university will also form a JNUSU officer-bearer and an elected member to review the contentious clauses of the CPO manual and recommend their removal, it added.

The JNU admin has also agreed to form a committee with a JNUSU representative to examine the JNU Entrance Examination (JNUEE), it said.

An audit report on the Equal Opportunity Cell (EOC) would be provided within a week, and the cell would be reorganised in consultation with JNUSU office-bearers, it read.

Furthermore, the JNU will also form a panel to examine hostel reservations and the implementation of other demands and agreed to consider a 25 % increase in the Merit-cum-Means (MCM) scholarship and initiate structural audits of Tapti and Mahi-Mandavi hostels and the Transgender and Gender Equality Facilitation Areas (TEFLAs), with renovation work to follow the prescribed procedure, it said.

In addition, the committee will meet again after 14 working days to take forward the specific demands and discuss the procedure for its implementation, the report said.