JNUSU to continue boycott of semester exam registration

New Delhi: A day after showing a willingness to register for the winter semester examinations, the JNU administration has blocked students from registering for the exams unless they pay the increased semester fees as mentioned in the revised IHA Manual, claimed the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union on Sunday night.

The JNUSU posted a tweet in this regard and also said that students with pending enquiries had been academically suspended even before the completion of the said enquiries. The students' union said that this was a "blatant disregard of our goodwill gesture. Hence, students will not pay any fee/register. We are done making any compromise till this rogue V-C is removed.

The students had earlier on Saturday night showed their willingness to register for the winter semester examination but at the old semester tuition fee of Rs 108 to Rs 120, depending on the course and had said they would continue their stir until the fee-hike was reversed.

But the students' union issued a statement on Sunday night after students were purportedly forced to pay increased fees, withdrawing their goodwill gesture of agreeing to pay the old semester fees and register for the exams.

The union said on Sunday that the JNUSU shall hold multiple rounds of democratic dialogue in different forums which shall evolve the future course of action and "until then no payment or clearance of any sort, IHA, Hostel, or Academic, to be sought".

"Students are informed that the boycott of registration shall continue. The UGBM call for academic suspension continues, students are appealed to carry on the strike. The students who have already taken their academic registration by paying Rs.108/120 are requested to not to get their folios generated by keeping the receipts with them," the statement read.

In fact, the JNUSU had on Saturday also said that the administration had academically suspended a lot of students who had proctorial enquiries pending against them, without the enquiries having been completed.

Following the JNUSU's goodwill gesture, the Vice-President of the students' union, Saket Moon tried to clear his due payments but found that he had been academically blocked by the Chief Proctor's Office. The JNUSU on Sunday also put up the screenshot of another student, who was shown to have been academically suspended.

Moreover, according to the students' union, the Record of Discussions at the MHRD with respect to the issue had shown that it was agreed that lenient views will be taken regarding the proctorial enquiries but the university administration has violated this and academically suspended a lot of students and "declared them out of bounds and is blocking their registration based on unfinished enquiries", claimed the JNUSU, adding that the administration had earlier passed a resolution agreeing not to implement increased fees for the winter semester. "We also need clarity on how much buffer time will be given for examinations and the completion of synopsis."

However, the JNUSU has categorically maintained that their strike to boycott the registration process will continue unless the old semester fees are restored and as a result, the JNU administration has had to take appropriate steps. The Assistant Registrar of the varsity issued a circular on Sunday extending the deadline for registration yet again - till January 15 this time.