JNU compulsory attendance row: Strike continues even as students vacate admin block after two days

New Delhi: The students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vacated the administrative block on Friday, after occupying it for two days against a High Court order. The Delhi High Court, last year, gave an order that the students cannot hold demonstrations within a 100-metre periphery of the University’s administrative block. [caption id=“attachment_4352283” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of JNU campus. Image courtesy: www.jnu.ac.in[/caption] However, the students continued their strike against the new attendance rule, as per which they would be forfeited of their hostel accommodation and scholarship and fellowship in case they do not achieve 75 percent attendance. “We are not at the admin block anymore. There was no siege as such, it’s all a lie. But we are continuing with the strike,” Simone Zoya Khan, JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) Vice President, told IANS. According to the Vice Chancellor of the University, M Jagadesh Kumar, the students had been protesting at the main work centre of the varsity illegally, going against both  the University and the High Court order. Last evening he had denounced the gathering of the studentsas a “siege” and also accused the students of manhandling an official. “Taking the university to ransom by JNUSU led students and confining the top officials in admin building since morning is highly condemnable. Let us raise our voice against such unwelcome behaviour. You can see the pictures to realise how they are bent upon creating unrest in JNU,” he tweeted on Thursday.

Taking the university to ransom by JNUSU led students and confining the top officials in admin building since morning is highly condemnable. Let us raise our voice against such unwelcome behaviour. You can see the pictures to realize how they are bent upon creating unrest in JNU. pic.twitter.com/gxDCmztVVy

— Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (@mamidala90) February 15, 2018