JNU students boycott classes against attendance circular

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students observed a strike by boycotted their classes on Monday as a mark of their protest against the 75 per cent compulsory attendance rule laid down by the administration last week.

The campus witnessed several demonstrations throughout the day with students burning a circular (of compulsory attendance). The protesting students also drew graffiti and sketches in different languages."Hundreds of students joined the student union and boycotted their classes on Monday. We also burnt a circular of irrational farman issued by the Vice-Chancellor who has been trying hard to destroy the JNU culture," said Students Union (JNUSU) president Geeta Kumari.

Alleging that Vice-Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar is trying to turn the campus into an"RSS shakha", the students also displayed khaki pants with messages written on them."As a token of protest, we have also gifted the V-C a pair of khaki pants, for his unwavering loyalty towards the right-wing groups,"Kumari added.

Meanwhile, the students also alleged that the administration "unnecessarily" deployed heavy security outside the V-C office. "The JNUSU condemns this act of the admin which sees university students as criminals and tries to subvert democratic political actions like strikes," said JNUSU vice-president Simone Zoya Khan.

In an unprecedented move, the university has made a minimum of 75 per cent attendance compulsory for students of BA, MA, MSc, MTech, PG diploma, MPhil, Phd and all part-time programmes.

The move has become a bone of contention between the administration and students. While the university claimed that the decision to make attendance compulsory was unanimously passed during the Academic Council meeting held on December 1, the JNUSU, along with a section of teachers, said that the issue was not even raised during the meeting.

NO CLARITY 

• University claimed that the diktat on  attendance was unanimously passed on December 1
   
• But the JNUSU, along with a section of teachers, said that the issue was not even raised during the meeting.