JNU asks students to call off hunger strike

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday urged students to call off their hunger strike against the change in admission procedure for M. Phil and Ph.D aspirants.

The administration told the students they will discuss "all their concerns, including marks for written test and viva-voce, deprivation points and intake of students within the UGC guidelines" of May last year.

The administration said it was "in constant dialogue with all stake-holders and is always open to discussion on any outstanding issues to resolve them amicably".

A Standing Committee on Admissions is to meet on Tuesday to discuss the students' concerns.

"We met the Vice Chancellor today. He assured us that our concerns will be heard," former JNU Students Union Joint Secretary Saurabh Sharma told IANS.

Sharma, an Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) member, has also been on hunger strike since January 24.

The new system will mean the entrance test will be reduced to a qualifying exam and selected students will be admitted solely on the basis of interview, the students say.

One student, Dileep Yadav, was hospitalized on January 23 when his condition turned critical after three days of hunger strike during which he abstained from even water.

--IANS

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