JNU hunger strike: Administration agrees to hold caste census, other key students' demands

The prolonged standoff between the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration and the students' union, which has been on a hunger strike for the past 15 days, appears to be nearing a resolution. The two sides have reached a consensus on several of the union's demands, with the university agreeing to fulfil six out of the 12 major demands put forth by the protesters. These include the reinstatement of the old in-house entrance exam system, the JNU Entrance Exam (JNUEE), for admissions, conducting a caste census on campus, increasing scholarship amounts, and proposing a reduction in the weightage given to the viva component during admissions.

Despite these positive developments, the students' union has continued its protest, with President Dhananjay and Councillor persisting in their hunger strike, which entered its 16th day on Monday. They are insisting on written confirmation of the agreed-upon demands before ending the strike. The hunger strike initially began on August 11. "Dhananjay has lost more than 5 kg and has a ketone level of 4+, which indicates severe pressure on his kidneys due to the hunger strike. He has also developed jaundice and an Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Nitish has lost around 7 kg and has become extremely weak, suffering from severe joint and muscle pain," the students' union said in a statement.

JNUSU intensifies its protest

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union has escalated its protest by launching a relay hunger strike and organising night vigils to push for their demands. During a negotiation meeting on August 23, which coincided with the JNUSU's long march to the Ministry of Education, Rector-I of the university, Brijesh Kumar Pandey, assured the students that the university would address some of their demands, as per a statement released by the students' body.

When contacted, Pandey said, "The administration will accept all the positive demands of the students in their best interest. Anything beyond our authority cannot be fulfilled." He added, "The university is currently facing a funding crunch. We will write to the UGC to request an allocation so that we can increase the scholarship amount as demanded by the students. As for the caste census, the data regarding the categories in which students have been admitted is already available on our website. That won't be an issue."

University agrees to key demands

 

 

According to the JNUSU, the university has agreed in principle to increase the merit-cum-means scholarship from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 and extend the provision to students of the School of Engineering and the School of Management. Reinstating the JNUEE was a central agenda item in the Charter of Demands. The Rector-I has verbally assured that admissions will be conducted through JNUEE starting from the next academic session, the union said.

Conducting a caste census was another prominent agenda item in the Charter of Demands. The administration has verbally assured the union that they will publish the category-wise data of JNU students, faculty, and staff within the next 15 days, it added. The university has also agreed to present the Nafey Committee report at the upcoming Academic Council (AC) meeting for approval, which recommends reducing the weightage of viva marks to 10-15 per cent in admissions.

Barak hostel issue remains unresolved

Furthermore, the administration has also agreed to drop the inquiries initiated against students who were part of a water protest outside the VC's residence and in a sexual harassment case where the survivor staged a protest at the North Gate of the campus, blocking the main entrance for several days. However, the parties could not reach a consensus on the opening of Barak Hostel, which has remained shut since its inauguration in January. The demand to include JNUSU in Academic Council meetings, where policy-level issues such as deprivation points and viva weightage are discussed, will be addressed by Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit on August 27.

(With PTI inputs)

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