JNU protests continue amid convocation

As Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) hosts its third convocation ceremony at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), students continue protests over drastic administrative changes including a fee hike. Thousands of students gathered at the venue hosting Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to make their demands heard but were stopped by the barricades.

Dr. Vandana Mishra chaired the decision-making in Inter-Hall Administration (IHA) meeting for the revised hostel manual. When detained by protesting students who asked her for answers about the new manual, she was reported to have maintained silence, while JNU Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Kumar put out a series of Tweets criticizing the actions of the students.

Here are the key issues students are protesting over:

⦁ Hotel and mess fee hike
⦁ ‘Appropriate’ dress code for students
⦁ Curfew timings for hostel residents

The University Registrar stated that the monthly rent for one-seater and two-seater hostel rooms increased from R.20 and Rs.10 to Rs.600 and Rs.300, respectively. Additionally, the one-time security-deposit for the mess was raised from Rs.5500 to Rs.12000, and will now include utility and service charges. Also, put forth in the new manual are clauses for the individual installation of electricity and water meters for hostels and service charges of Rs 1700/month, which could be subject to a later hike.

Numerous students who are able to study in the institution due to scholarships will be hit by the fee hike which will amount to more than what is offered by the scholarship, according to a report by The Hindu.

Apart from this, regulations underlining 'appropriate' dress codes to be followed in the mess and a curfew at 11 pm for hostel students have been implemented. The latter would make it hard for students to access the library at night. Female and male students have also been barred from entering each other's hostels.

On 7 November, JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, on a Facebook post, called the move by the administration 'illegal'.

Her post went on to read, " We have only three simple demands :
1) Release official notification stating clearly that IHA Meeting held on 28/10/19 stands canceled and reject the Draft Hostel Manual.
2) Release official notification taking back all the circulars brought against students by the Administration.
3) Demand for a fresh IHA Meeting along with JNUSU and Hostel Presidents, where a new draft can be prepared to be discussed in the appropriate democratic forums of the university (School, Hostel, and University GBMs)."

Parallel protests have also been taking place in the university concerning the Ayodhya verdict by the Supreme Court as well as new working staff (including mess/sanitation workers)not getting their salaries cleared.