JNU students' body ends hunger strike; claims administration has agreed to its key demands

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) ended their hunger strike early Tuesday morning after 17 days of protest against the university administration to press their demands. According to the students' union, the hunger strike was called off after the JNU administration on Monday agreed to several of its key demands and provided verbal assurances on others. "Due to the worsening health of the hunger strikers, JNUSU has decided to call off the hunger strike. However, our struggle is far from over. The mode of protest has changed but the fight for our demands continues with renewed determination," the JNUSU said in a statement.

The protest, which began on August 11 with 16 students sitting on an indefinite hunger strike, was concluded with only two participants remaining -- JNUSU President Dhananjay and Councillor Nitish Kumar -- ”after several students had to withdraw due to their deteriorating health conditions. In a statement on Monday, the union stated, "Dhananjay has lost more than 5 kg and has a ketone level of 4+, which indicates severe pressure on his kidneys due to the hunger strike. He has also developed jaundice and a urinary tract infection (UTI). Nitish has lost around 7 kg and has become extremely weak, suffering from severe joint and muscle pain."

JNUSU's General Secretary Priyanshi Arya, who is affiliated with Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA), disassociated herself from the protest, alleging that the Left-affiliated members of the union ignored her consent regarding mobilisation.

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The union claims the JNU administration has committed to increasing Merit-cum-Means (MCM) scholarships once additional funds are secured, extending these scholarships to students of the School of Education (SoE) and Management Studies. The administration has also sent a letter to the UGC requesting an increase in funds for this purpose. Additionally, they promised to release category-wise data on students, faculty, and staff within 15 days and to hold scheduled caste and gender sensitisation programmes in early September, it said.

Reinstating JNUEE

Reinstating the JNU Entrance Exam (JNUEE) was a central agenda item in the union's Charter of Demands. The Rector-I has verbally assured that admissions will be conducted through JNUEE starting from the next academic session, the union said. However, the varsity has said no assurance has been given on JNUEE to be implemented from next year. The administration emphasised that the university does not have an officially recognised student body. "We engaged in dialogue with the protestors as students of the university, focusing on their welfare," a university representative said on Monday.

The union claimed that the university has also agreed to present the Nafey Committee report at the upcoming Academic Council (AC) meeting for approval, which recommends reducing the weightage of viva marks to 10-15 per cent in admissions. The university has also agreed to open Parthasarathy Rocks Gate from 6 am to 10 pm daily, although the union is pushing for it to remain open 24/7, it said. The administration has agreed to hold regular Student Faculty Committee (SFC) elections according to the academic calendar, the union said in the statement.

Additionally, the administration has agreed to drop the inquiries initiated against students involved in a water protest outside the VC's residence and a sexual harassment case where the survivor staged a protest at the North Gate, blocking the main entrance for several days, it said. They also agreed to extend the PhD fellowship continuation form submission from monthly to every three months, the students' union said.