Students' protest against UGC notification ends

Students ended their siege of the Administrative Block of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday, allowing the authorities to restore normal functioning of the premier institution, authorities said.

A group, called "Committee of Suspended Students", led by the JNU Students Union members, had occupied the Administrative Block on February 9 in protest against a University Grants Commission (UGC) notification that could alter the university's admission policy leading to seat cuts in the M.Phil and Ph.D programmes.

"The officers have immediately resumed their work, so that the huge pending works are completed... There are certain irreparable damages, which will keep reminding the current and future agitators that improper methods of protests are always harmful," a statement issued by the university said.

Appreciating the "patience" shown by the entire JNU administration, the authorities said many JNU students and teachers suffered because of the agitation.

"The erosion of JNU's atmosphere of peaceful and harmless protests is a cause of wider concern in the JNU community and this erosion must be stemmed now," the statement said.

The university administration invited the students leaders concerned to discuss their issues peacefully.

--IANS

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