JNU protest intensifies; HRD minister meets students’ union president

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union protest outside the university campus turned violent on Monday (November 11) as the agitators clashed with the police and security personnel who were deployed at the AICTE auditorium in Vasant Kunj.

The JNU students staged a demonstration against fee hike, curfew timings and dress code restrictions in the institute. The demonstration left HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank stranded for over six hours at the venue of the university’s convocation.

Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank met students’ union president and assured them that their demands will be addressed, a senior HRD Ministry official had said.

Earlier, the students broke barricades and raised slogans, calling Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar a ‘thief’, police used water cannons to disperse them.

The protesting students who wanted to march towards the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), where Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is addressing a convocation, were barred from entering the area.

Students gathered in large numbers outside the campus to protest against the draft hostel manual, the administration’s restriction on students’ entry to Parthasarathy Rocks, a popular hangout place inside the campus and alleged attempts to lock the students’ union office.

The gates of the AICTE, around 3 km from the JNU, were locked and the security personnel were stationed in and outside the premises in wake of the protests that started in the morning. The students later reached the convocation area at around 11.30 am. The minister who was stuck inside the AICTE auditorium for over six hours, had to cancel two events later in the day.

According to a senior officer, the students broke barricades and marched towards the auditorium. Some of the protesters have been detained. The students were beating tambourine and raising slogans, with placards in their hands, calling Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar a “thief”. Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal was not being able to come out of the venue.

“JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh and vice president Saket Moon were asked to talk to the students to make way for the HRD minister. Police requested the protesters to move from the gate, but they refused,” an officer said.

Police are now taking the JNUSU office-bearers to meet VC. Students want to meet the VC and demand a withdrawal of the draft hostel manual, which they claimed has provisions for fee hike, dress code and curfew timings.

Also read: JNU seethes in protest over hostel fee hike, CRPF in campus

The JNUSU office-bearers met Pokhriyal who assured them that their demands would be looked into. They, however, were not able to meet the VC. The protesters were also raising slogans we want VC.

“Historic day for us that we broke barricades, reached the convocation venue and met the minister,” Ghosh said.

“This could happen because we were united.” “This is not the end of our movement. We urged the HRD minister to ask the VC to have a dialogue with the students,” the JNUSU president said.

“It is due to the VC that things have come to be like this.” The HRD minister has promised that students union would be called for meeting to the ministry. We will have to ask the executive council members to reject the hostel manual in its upcoming meeting on Wednesday,” Ghosh said.

They claimed that the new hostel manual has provisions for fee hike, curfew timings and dress code restrictions. The proposed hike in the hostel fee security deposit will have students paying ₹12,000 against the ₹5,500 they used to pay earlier. Mess bills are also expected to rise steeply.

Meanwhile, the traffic near Jawaharlal Nehru University was affected due to the ongoing demonstration by students in the institute, the police said. The Delhi Traffic Police in a tweet on Monday said, “Obstruction in traffic from Baba Gangnath Marg to JNU due to demonstration.” “Traffic Movement is closed on Nelson Mandela Marg from PS Vasant Vihar to PS Vasant Kunj due to demonstration. Kindly avoid the stretch,” it said in another tweet.

As reported by India Today the university’s administration said frequent agitations on campus have affected many students who are unable to concentrate on their studies, complete academic assignments and prepare for their examinations.

(With inputs from agencies)