NEW DELHI: Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Friday urged agitating students at Jawaharlal Nehru University to call off their protests, saying that dialogue could not be dictated through “coercion and illegal methods”.
The JNU Students’ Union said that instead of initiating a dialogue, the administration had began to release “thinly veiled threats” to the teachers and students.
ALSO READ: JNU files complaint over 'vandalism' at administration block
The VC also requested teachers at the varsity to appeal to the disgruntled students to end their agitation, which is hampering “studies of thousands of students on the campus” who are preparing for their end-semester examinations.
“JNU administration would always like to engage in a dialogue and discussion, but the process and form of any such interaction cannot be dictated through coercion and illegal methods. No dialogue in this form will be fruitful,” he said.
ALSO READ | Over 150 universities supported JNU protest against the hostel fee hike: JNUSU
The varsity administration, after facing two weeks of protests, rolled back a hostel fee hike partially for Below Poverty Line students not availing of any scholarship. Students have dubbed the move an “eyewash”.
The VC requested the teachers to convince the students that the changes in hostel charges were reasonable and vital for the financial viability of the hostels.
“It is our duty and responsibility to keep JNU on the path of becoming a globally renowned university for which peace and normalcy have to be restored in the campus,” he said.