JNUSU launches indefinite hunger strike

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has initiated an indefinite hunger strike starting June 27, calling for the reinstatement of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE) for PhD admissions.

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The students’ body has outlined several additional demands, including the revocation of eviction notices served to PhD scholars, assurance of hostel accommodation until thesis submission and an immediate increase in the merit cum scholarship (MCM) to Rs 5,000.

In an open letter addressed to Vice Chancellor Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, JNUSU accused her of neglecting feedback collected from students in 2024 regarding the reinstatement of JNUEE and failing to take appropriate action.

The student’s body has accused the Vice-Chancellor of taking no interest in the conduct of fair examinations deliberately as it does not align with her ‘political leanings’.

“If you truly believe that PhD admissions through NET are fair and align with JNU’s ideals, then come and debate this with JNU students and the JNUSU. We are confident that

you have already lost,” the letter stated.

It further claimed that after replacing JNUEE with CUET and NET for seven years, she has now admitted that JNUEE is a superior method of admission but is using a lack of funds as an excuse for its non-reinstatement.

Nitish Kumar, President of JNUSU, emphasized that Professor Pandit did not meet with the newly elected central office bearers of the student body — a tradition at JNU.

“Have you ever acted on the memorandums we sent to your office? No. Have you ever stood as JNU’s voice before the government? No. So this excuse is nothing but your incompetence to defend your position,”

he stated.

Despite these escalating tensions, the university has commenced its admission process for PhD programmes. In a show of protest, JNUSU members burned the e-Prospectus on Friday.

The union expressed its frustration over the administration’s refusal to engage in dialogue on critical student issues.

“Today, JNUSU has been compelled to begin an indefinite hunger strike after the administration’s repeated refusal to engage in dialogue,” they declared. Efforts to discuss these demands with various university officials have reportedly been met with indifference.

While three out of four elected student office bearers—the President, Vice-President and General Secretary — are participating in the hunger strike, Joint Secretary affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is not involved in this protest.