The JNUSU-led hunger strike at Jawaharlal Nehru University entered its sixth day on Friday, with talks between student representatives and the administration failing to resolve a standoff over disciplinary rules, campus infrastructure, student welfare and institutional procedures.
The indefinite protest is being held at Sabarmati T Point and has drawn participation from several student organisations, including AISA, SFI, DSF, AISF, DISHA and PSA. The agitation began over provisions in the Chief Proctor Manual that students say impose stringent penalties on campus gatherings. Protesters are also seeking the withdrawal of the two-semester rustication imposed on four JNUSU office-bearers in February.
The students’ demands extend beyond disciplinary action. They are opposing private third-party video teaching contracts in the School of Languages and calling for the restoration of the independent GSCASH body for handling sexual harassment complaints. They are also demanding that the National Testing Agency’s Common University Entrance Test be replaced with a decentralised, university-led admissions system.
Campus infrastructure and access have become another central part of the protest. Students have raised concerns about deteriorating conditions in older hostels, including Kaveri, Periyar and Godavari. Their demands include improved facilities at Barak hostel, gender-neutral toilets, wheelchair accessibility and additional library space. The list also includes greater transparency in mess bills, higher MCM scholarships for economically weaker students and decentralised processing of Junior Research Fellowship applications.
The deadlock sharpened on Friday when striking students, including JNUSU President Aditi, Vice President Gopika and General Secretary Sunil, were summoned for a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor. According to the protesting students, they reached the administration block but found the doors closed and were made to wait outside. The students also alleged that medical checkups for those fasting were discarded by administration officials. These allegations were reported in the source account and could not be independently verified from the material supplied.
The dispute therefore involves both immediate negotiations and the administration of everyday campus life. The students’ demands cover the rules governing assembly, disciplinary penalties, teaching arrangements, complaints mechanisms, admissions, hostel maintenance, accessibility and financial support. Taken together, they have turned the hunger strike into a wider challenge to how student services and institutional decisions are managed at the university.
The JNUSU has accused the administration of handling the protest in an authoritarian manner and has called for a larger mobilisation. A “Fight Back JNU” march from Sabarmati T Point to the East Gate was held at 9 pm as the standoff continued without an announced resolution. The next formal outcome depends on further engagement between the students and the university administration.
