Following protests over Afzal Guru, JNU orders release of denied fellowships and degrees

New Delhi: Following protests by JNU students over denial of fellowships and degree for their alleged involvement in the controversial Afzal Guru event, the University administration on Thursday issued orders to the concerned departments to release the same. The university, however, is yet to announce the punishment to various students in connection with the 9 February event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. While two students — Shweta Raj and Rama Naga — had alleged that the university denied their fellowships claiming they are still under suspension over the event, another student Chintu Kumari had claimed that the administration refused to give her MPhil degree and mark sheet saying it has been blocked pending an enquiry into the incident. [caption id=“attachment_2742042” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A file image of JNU campus. Image courtesy: IBNLive[/caption] Terming both of them to be “technical errors”, JNU on Thursday ordered the concerned departments to facilitate the two demands. “The inconvenience to the students happened due to a technical error as the order about revoking of their suspension was not yet sent by the Chief Proctor’s office to various departments. “It was neither intentional nor it had to do anything with the controversy. The matter has been resolved and orders have been issued today to facilitate the fellowships and degree of the concerned students,” JNU official told PTI. While Shweta and Rama were among the students who were academically debarred by the university for over a month in connection with the event, Chintu was not. However, she was among those who were issued show-cause notices after a high-level committee probing the issue had found her guilty of violating the discipline norms. The five-member panel had also found some students guilty of disrupting communal harmony on campus. The committee is also believed to have recommended rustication of five students including JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya and monetary penalty for others. The three students were arrested in a sedition case over the event. They are now out on bail. Meanwhile, JNUSU members and a group of students today staged a protest on the same issue outside the administration block , which has been the venue of protest ever since the controversy broke out.