Fee hike demands met, calls for JNU VC's removal now not reasonable: HRD Minister

Calls for the removal of JNU Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar are now not reasonable as the basic demand of students on hostel fee hike has been met, says Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'.

The situation in the university is turning normal and students who want to study should not be disturbed, the minister told PTI in an interview.

Last year in October, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration announced a hike in hostel fee, including introduction of service and utility charges.

Following this, students took to streets demanding a roll back, prompting the human resource development (HRD) ministry to form a three-member panel to mediate between the agitating students and the administration to restore normalcy in the campus.

"The basic demand of students about the hostel fee hike has been met. The calls for JNU VC's removal now are not reasonable, removing anybody is not the solution," Pokhriyal said.

After a series of meetings with the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) and the varsity administration, the ministry had directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to fund the utility and service charge, and appealed to the students to call off their agitation.

On the JNUSU's decision to move court against amendments in the hostel manual, including the fee hike, and continue its boycott of the semester registration process, Pokhriyal said, "It is the university's call on what to do next".

"I have been told that over 80 per cent students have already registered for the winter semester and more people are registering," he said, adding that "if our universities have to excel in the global competition, we need to rise above these issues."