New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is set to return to normalcy and begin classes from Monday. The varsity has seen protests since November when the administration announced its decision to hike the hostel fees. The violence on January 5 made the situation more tense with many students leaving for their hometown.
“The administration is making every effort to make sure that students and teachers have a conducive environment to pursue their academic activities,” JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar had said on Friday. “In meeting with deans and chairpersons, it was decided that classes would start from January 13,” he had further added.
Kumar had met Human Resource Development Secretary Amit Khare on Friday. “The JNU administration is implementing the record of discussions with MHRD issued on December 11,” he said in a statement.
“I have informed the ministry that the JNU has written to UGC that it should meet utility and service charges concerning the fee hike,” he added.
He also said that the decision to hike the hostel fees was not taken in haste. “The decision of hostel fee hike was not taken in a hurry. The committee for this purpose was formed in 2016 and I am sure several discussions took place at the warden level,” Kumar said on Sunday.
“Whatever happened has happened in the past, let us leave that. We should focus on how to make the university function properly and look for a positive future,” he added.
The administration, meanwhile, announced it was extending the deadline for semester registration process to January 15 wherein students can register without late fee. Registrar Pramod Kumar said on Sunday, “There were over 4,000 registrations till Sunday evening. To facilitate more registrations, we decided to extend it.”
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) is, however, boycotting the registration process due to academic suspension of several students.
“The JNU vice-chancellor (VC) first blocked the fee payment portal and then blocked the payment of tuition fee. It is clear he was lying when he said students want to register but are not being allowed by protesters. He has also blocked the registration of 300 students based on fake proctor inquiries,” said JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh.
The Registrar denied the allegations. “These are lies. We are giving provisional registration for all students,” he said.
On Sunday night, Congress leaders Subhash Chopra and Shashi Tharoor visited the varsity to speak to students after they were attacked by a masked mob on January 5 leaving 35 injured.
Delhi Police Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, had on Friday identified nine suspects including JNU Students Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh. On Sunday, a woman, who was seen with two masked men involved in January 5 violence, was also identified as a student of a Delhi University college.
Officials of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), who are probing three cases of violence and vandalism on campus between January 3 and 5, said they will serve a notice to the student on Monday, asking her to join the probe and identify the two masked men, seen with her.