Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) ended its 17-day hunger strike on October 19 after the university administration agreed to revoke the rustication of five student office-bearers and withdraw FIRs registered against students, according to minutes of a meeting between the administration and student representatives.
The minutes, signed by Dean of the School of Social Sciences Vivek Kumar and student representatives, listed decisions on demands involving student rights, social justice, hostel facilities, campus infrastructure and university procedures. The administration also agreed to withdraw proctorial inquiries initiated during protests over rustication, University Grants Commission regulations and hostel infrastructure.
In a separate notice dated October 19, JNU said Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit had directed the administration to revoke the rustication of five students with immediate effect. The students are Aditi Mishra, K. Gopika Babu, Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali and Nitish Kumar. The first four are current JNUSU office-bearers, while Nitish Kumar is a former JNUSU president. The notice advised the students to pay their respective fines immediately.
The university and the student body also agreed to form a committee comprising a JNUSU office-bearer and an elected member to review contentious clauses in the Chief Proctor’s Office manual. JNUSU had opposed provisions that allowed penalties including fines, suspension and rustication for violations of restrictions on protests. Another committee, with JNUSU representation, will examine the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination.
Several of the decisions concern the functioning and physical condition of the campus. The administration agreed to provide an audit report on the Equal Opportunity Cell within a week and reorganise the cell in consultation with JNUSU office-bearers. Committees will examine hostel reservations and the implementation of other demands. The university also agreed to consider a 25% increase in the Merit-cum-Means scholarship and initiate structural audits of Tapti and Mahi-Mandavi hostels and the Transgender and Gender Equality Facilitation Areas, with renovation work to follow the prescribed procedure.
The minutes further stated that geysers in all hostels would be made functional within two weeks. The administration agreed to open a canteen at the Centre for Studies in Languages and Literature, extend school library hours until 9 p.m., and form a committee to examine the opening of the Barak hostel mess and provision of Wi-Fi facilities.
The meeting is scheduled to take place again after 14 working days to advance the specific demands and discuss the modalities for implementing them. The next stage will therefore involve translating the recorded agreements into administrative orders, committee findings and work on campus facilities.
