JNUSU Boycotts 1st Convocation in 46 Yrs For Anti-Student Policies

The students union body of JNU has boycotted the varsity’s second ever convocation to be held on August 8, 2018.

File image of JNU students protesting. Image used for representational purpose only.

(Photo: PTI)

The Students’ Union body of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has boycotted the varsity’s second convocation since 1971 to be held on 8 August 2018 and is rejecting the Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar’s stamp on their degrees.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has accused the VC of “muzzling their speech and destroying the university” with the what the students are labelling the administration’s “anti-student and anti-social justice policies.”

The University, founded in 1969, is witnessing its second convocation after a gap of 46 years. The convocation will be attended by varsity’s Chancellor V K Saraswat and Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, officials at JNU told The Quint.

The VC and his political masters, through their anti-student, anti-social justice policies one after another – research seat cut, scuttling reservations, decimations of deprivation points, fee hikes, victimization and targeting of student activists through fines and punishments, manipulation of selection panels for appointment of teachers, dismantling GSCASH for an administration nominated ICC, trampling democratic decision making processes like AC and EC etc have tried their best to demolish JNU and all that this university stands for.

JNUSU statement on 6 August, 2018

The JNUSU statement further accused the VC of being complicit in shielding sexual harassers on campus, specifically in the context of students filing a complaint against professor Atul Johri.

“JNU VC’s complicity in protecting assaulters, sexual harassers and silencing complainants and dissenting voices through threats are out there for all to see. We have seen how the complainants against serial sexual harasser Atul Johri witnessed absolute inaction by the VC and how the ICC is functioning as a body for delivering threats to complainants rather than providing justice.”