NEW DELHI: The Union Human Resources Development Ministry on Friday issued a fresh appeal to the agitating students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University to withdraw their strike after the university administration maintained that it is following the formula suggested by the government last month and majority of the hike in hostel fee has been rolled back.
HRD secretary Amit Khare held separate meetings with the university authorities including Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar and JNU Students’ Union representatives led by its president Aishe Ghosh.
In the meeting, Kumar said that the administration had agreed to withdraw the utility and service charges as proposed in the changed hostel manual, as per the directions of the Ministry in December, sources said.
On Thursday, as JNUSU members and JNU Teacher’s Association members alleged that the university had not officially declared its changed stand, the university had also issued a circular clarifying that increase will only be in the room rent paid by the students and the utility and service charges will remain the same.
It was after repeated instructions from the Ministry to the VC to be more “communicative” with the students and clear “misunderstandings”.
Meanwhile, after meeting with Kumar and others from the university, Khare also met with University Grants Commission chairman D P Singh and asked him to release a second tranche of funds to the university to meet immediate requirements.
UGC had released nearly Rs 30 crore to the university last month in order to ensure that students are not made to pay increased hostel fee.
The students, however, remain adamant on the VC’s removal from the post and have been insisting on an assurance that they will be allowed to participate in future council meetings that take decisions on
fee hikes.
There has not been any commitment from the university administration on this so far as the matter of JNU Students’ Union office bearers’ recognition is pending with the Delhi High Court.
‘Implementing MHRD decision’
JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar Mamidala on Friday made it clear that the university was ensuring that all decisions taken on December 11 meeting with the MHRD were being “implemented in totality”. He was referring to the ministry’s decision to wave-off service and utility charges for students. He added, that if need be, the university would extend the registration deadline for students to help them get registered in the new semester.
Delhi Police’s timeline of campus attacks
January 3
1 pm: AISA, SFI, AISF and DSF members enter Communication and Information Services Centre (CIS), take the staff out, shut down the server in order to prevent exam registrations. After about two hours, the admin reboots it.
January 4
Morning: Authorities better prepared
Afternoon: Miscreants break into CIS from the back door and damage the server. Admin lodges an FIR against them.
January 5
11.30 am: The agitating students get into an altercation with 4 students sitting outside School of Social Sciences to complete registration process. The four are beaten up and security guards intervene.
3.45 pm: Members and supporters of AISA, SFI, AISF and DSF (including SFI member and JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh) go into Periyar Hostel with their faces covered.
Later, a group of students with their faces covered start a scuffle at a peace meeting called by teachers and attended by students at Sabarmati T-point. Miscreants from outside the university with masked faces enter Sabarmati Hostel along with hostel residents and attack select students.
This is followed by a spill-over at Narmada Hostel.
Tharoor questions Kejriwal’s silence
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday criticised CM Arvind Kejriwal for not speaking up for students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University, who were beaten up. “Who prevented him (Kejriwal) to speak about injured students or meet them while people from outside (the state) are coming?” he said.
‘Distressed over students’ role’
Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Friday said he was “distressed” over the involvement of JNU students in the January 5 violence as pointed out by the Delhi Police. The ministry will not tolerate any violence and anarchy in educational institutions, he said.