With left-ruled Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) ‘abetting’ common students against the JNU Administration for bringing in the mandatory attendance rule, the administration in a message to JNU community sought cooperation from all stakeholders for peaceful implementation of the university rules.
The administrative appeal came in the backdrop of protest held on February 10, in which some ‘miscreants’ went to the extent of damaging the university property at the administrative block. The administrative block at JNU is out of bounds for the students to hold any form of protest or demonstration. But in clear defiance of the rules, the JNUSU protested at the administrative block on Saturday and even ‘instigated’ the common students to follow suit.
The JNUSU’s discontent with the compulsory attendance rule allegedly reached its peak after JNU administration came in with a circular on February 8 which says that all fellowships/scholarship holders are required to meet the prescribed minimum attendance to avail the fellowships.
The JNU administration has alleged there are some students who have not only been non-complaint of the attendance rule but also have been preventing fellow students to attend classes by calling for strikes, blockading the entrance to the school building, staging marches, holding meetings at class hours, and worse, blocking the main road of the university for days.
The administration reiterated that JNUSU office-bearers are blatantly violating not only the university rules but also the orders of Delhi HC that prohibits any kind of protest within 100 metres of administrative building.
The mandatory attendance rule is the latest ‘bone of contention’ between the JNUSU and JNU Administration with common students just being 'helpless' and caught in the middle of storm. However, apparently JNUSU is putting all its weight in opposing the JNU administration which they alleged to work at instance of RSS and BJP.
Following the formation of a human chain within the campus on Saturday and alleged reclaiming of “freedom square” from administration, the JNUSU plans to hold a massive “Freedom March” from the famous Ganga Dhaba to freedom square on Sunday. However, with administration remaining steadfast on its stand it seems that friction between it and JNUSU will further escalate in coming days.