Jawaharlal Nehru University is one of the internationally renowned universities which is known as the nation’s best graduate schools in the social sciences. Jawaharlal Nehru University is known as JNU is tucked away in a remote corner of Delhi. Priding itself on being a research-oriented postgraduate university with approximately 8,000 students and faculty strength of around 550. Foreign students consist of about 10% of the annual intake.
The university is organized into ten schools, each of which has several centres as well as four independent special centres. Also, the university consists of classrooms to a fully equipped library on the campus. The university hostel complex comprises 17 hostels for boys and girls and one complex accommodating married students. JNU offers courses such as M.Sc. M.A M.C.A Ph.D M.Tech M.Phil
But in recent times Jawaharlal Nehru University has been the hot topic across all the borders of our great country. JNU Students Union has called for a university strike to protest the provisions of the draft hostel manual. The chief guest the convocation will be the Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu, and HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The manual proposes an increase in hostel fees, change in dress code and curfew timings. This has not down well with the students who have termed the move as against the culture of the university.
The situation has taken a drastic turn yesterday on Monday as a large number of students from JNU assembled to walk towards Parliament on the first day of winter sessions demanding a total rollback of the hostel fee hike and continue to do it today too. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, JNU Administration and Hostel presidents are all set to interact with the three-member-committee formed by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry to mention ways to restore normalcy in the functioning of the university.
In a memorandum submitted by the students of JNU to the HRD Ministry has been quoted saying that, “The fact remains that there has been no fee hike rollback as claimed by the administration and rather than any relief to BPL [Below Poverty Line] students, their misery has been compounded. The reality of that rollback is that virtually no fee has come down. The monthly hostel and mess expenses of students are set to rise from 2700 [Rs] per month on an average to 5500 [Rs].”
The students also witnessed alleged police brutality, as per a student of the university claimed that the Delhi Police used brutal force during their protest and baton-charged many who joined in the protest against the fee hike. Delhi Police released a statement, “There was no use of water cannons, tear gas shells or lathi-charge at any stage of the protest. Women staff was deployed in adequate numbers to deal with female protesters. Apart from 10 companies of CAPF, around 800 Delhi Police personnel were deployed to handle the protest and ensure the maintenance of law and order.”
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