The JNU protest scheduled for October 10 was gathering momentum on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, with students planning how to reach Jantar Mantar amid anticipated restrictions on public transport, police vehicles and barricades.
Aditi, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), who is on a hunger strike on campus over various student issues, said around 3,000 students had joined a campus protest on July 20 and that a similar turnout was expected this time. The students’ plans were being discussed alongside the ongoing hunger strike, with some deciding to remain on campus while others prepared to travel to the protest site.
Danish Ali, JNUSU joint secretary, said the participation in recent protests had widened beyond the regular group of student activists. “Earlier, when we used to protest, it used to be just us. But now, there are hundreds of others,” he said, adding that first-year students had also been encouraged by the recent demonstrations.
Students said they were discussing routes and timings and were being advised to travel in smaller groups. They anticipated police vehicles and barricades near the campus at night, although the report did not specify an official order detailing the restrictions.
Shubham Kumar of the All India Students’ Federation said students expected police vehicles outside the university and possible barricading. He said restrictions on public transport could increase attention around the demonstration rather than reduce it.
Ujjwal Pandey, north zone coordinator of the Cockroach Janta Party, said students were still working out their travel plans. “Wherever protesters are stopped, that will become a protest site too,” he said.
The students’ concerns were also linked to the practical difficulty of reaching protest locations during earlier demonstrations. Three PhD scholars recalled that it had taken them about two hours to reach the protest site on July 20 because of barricades outside the campus and restrictions on private vehicles entering or leaving the university.
The scholars also described receiving notices connected to voter-roll issues. Tasdique Mustafiz, whose family is based in Bihar, said his mother’s name had been removed from the voter rolls. Another student, Mousam, said a booth-level officer in Jharkhand had contacted him to say that his name had been deleted and that additional documents were required. The students said professors who had lived in Delhi for years had received similar notices.
Some students said they would continue their hunger strike on campus because university-related issues remained important, while others planned to join the demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The immediate logistical focus remained on travel routes, police presence and the possibility that restrictions could affect access to the protest site.
