JNU students block admin building protesting new admssn rules

The stalemate between the JNU administration and the students continued, with the students today preventing entry of officials into the administrative building, even as the teachers' association met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention in the matter.
The students have been agitating against the recent amendments in the admission policy of the university following certain guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and remained adamant on preventing the officials from entering office until their demands were met.
The students action comes as members of JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) met President Pranab Mukherjee, who is also the Visitor to the university, and sought his intervention into the amendments in admission rules causing seat cuts for Mphil and PhD programmes.

"The students' agitation with regard to the implementation of UGC regulations is unwarranted and is vitiating academic atmosphere of the university. It is unfortunate that some students have forcibly occupied the administration building preventing entry of staff and officers," Dean of Students Rana P Singh said.
The JNU students union claimed that they were peacefully protesting and wanted to seek an appointment with the Vice Chancellor to discuss their grievances with him.
JNUTA which has also been opposing the recent amendments, claimed that it raised the issue of "hasty and unthinking imposition of all the changes in JNU's admission policy which are in violation of Constitutional provisions".

"A nine-member delegation met the President and briefed him about various issues ranging from the issue of 100 per cent weightage given to viva-voce, intimidation and surveillance of faculty and students and the restrictions on freedoms of movement, assembly, speech and expression," JNUTA president Ayesha Kidwai said.