JNU students' union calls for boycott of semester registration process

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has called for a boycott of the semester registration process on Wednesday and asked the vice-chancellor "to have a proper deliberation and work in the spirit of resolution" of issues.

The university has been seeing a standoff between the students and the administration over the issue of hostel fee hike for over two months.

On Monday, the JNU released a circular saying that the new hostel manual will be implemented from January 1, 2020 with the hiked room rent even though the service and utility charges will be taken care of by the University Grants Commission.

The union said that the Delhi High Court had observed in its order on December 23 that the solution to the current crisis must be found by the VC only through dialogue with stakeholders -- the university students.

The administration held two meetings with the JNUSU on December 26 and 30.

"While having communicated through informal channels that it would initiate dialogue with the JNUSU, in a shocking display of their insidious intentions, the administration brought out a notice that was in complete violation of a conducive environment where negotiations can further proceed," the JNUSU said.

It said that despite concerted efforts by the administration to penalise the agitating students, the JNUSU participated in the talks with the sincere intent to resolve the "crisis that the hostel manual has imposed on the students".

"Even as the talks were going on, circulars were released by the administration which clearly shows that the administration still believes in the modus operandi of pretending to hold dialogue rather than actually holding one," the JNUSU said.

The semester registration process will begin from January 1 and will go on till January 5. The students, who did not take exams, can provisionally register for the next semester and have to complete academic requirements by January 20.

"We note that the administration which was threatening to fail students and not let them register has now had to come down to the so called 'provisional registration' model. But that is a sham tactic. Proper exams with buffer period must be held for all students," the JNUSU said.

The JNUSU has decided to go for an extended boycott in the wake of the varsity's circular.