JNU agrees partial rollback of changes in hostel rules

Two days after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students held a massive protest, the varsity on Wednesday agreed for a partial rollback of the proposed changes in the hostel rules but the students remained dissatisfied and demanded a complete withdrawal of all proposals, vowing to continue their protest until their demands are met.

The executive council (EC) of the university approved a reduction in the proposed hostel fee at its meeting held outside the JNU campus in absence of the JNU teachers association members.

The varsity shifted the EC meeting from the campus at the last moment without giving any prior notice to the JNU teacher association members.

Students held their protest on the campus where Delhi police have deployed policemen in a large number including those in plain clothes in and around campus.

“The JNU executive committee (council) announces major roll-back in the hostel fee and other stipulations. It also proposes a scheme for economic assistance to the EWS (economically weaker sections) students. Time to get back to the classes,” Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry's higher education secretary R Subrahmanyam tweeted.

While the JNU was yet to officially announce the decision, the official sources in the HRD ministry said that the EC had decided that the room rent for single occupancy, which was proposed to be raised to Rs 600 from Rs 20 for single occupancy, will now be fixed at Rs 200.

The double occupancy room rent, which was proposed to be increased to Rs 300 from Rs 10, will now be alotted at Rs 100. The one-time hostel mess security deposit will remain unchanged. At present, the one-time hostel mess security deposit is fixed at Rs 5,500. The university proposed to increase it to Rs 12,000.

The JNU students term the HRD ministry secretary's tweet as “misleading” and said they will continue their agitation until the university rolls back all the proposed changes in the hostel rules.

“The HRD secretary tweet on major rollback of fee hike is misleading,” former JNU students union president N Sai Balaji said in a statement.

While the EC has approved a reduction in a portion of room rent, the major portion of the hostel fee hike remained as it was proposed, he argued

“95% of the (proposed) fee hike (on other heads) remains as it is,” he said.

Besides, a range of proposed changes in the hostel rules including curfew timings, dress code and “dangerous punishments” like rustication still there, he added.