Student groups protest against new JNU rules

NEW DELHI: Several student groups held a torch march on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus here on Saturday, demanding the withdrawal of the new rules of conduct. Nearly 100-150 students from the JNUSU and outfits like the AISA, SFI and the NSUI, along with hostel presidents, participated in the protest against the revised chief proctor office manual which they allege is "dictatorial". Under the new rules, students can be fined up to Rs 20,000 for protesting in prohibited areas and Rs 10,000 for raising "anti-national" slogans.

Raising slogans such as "CPO manual wapas lo" and "Stop fine raj", the protesters gathered at the Ganga Dhaba of the university and marched to Chandrabhaga hostel. The JNUSU said that it will continue their protest and may launch a hunger strike if the CPO manual is not taken back and proctorial inquiries against students are not ceased.

"It has been JNU's tradition to fight back draconian rules and the students' union has always forced the administration to roll back such rules by raising their voice and staging protests. "We will resist this CPO manual and if need be sit on a hunger strike to safeguard the democratic ethos of the university," JNU Students' union president Aishe Ghosh said.

The students' union said it will soon announce its plan to "executive non-cooperation with the university administration". Ghosh, however, told PTI the students' union is open to a dialogue with the administration to resolve the issue. "We plan to hold a long movement if our demands are not met," she said.