New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has rusticated all four office-bearers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) and a former union president for two semesters, besides imposing heavy fines on several students, intensifying the standoff between the administration and the student body.
The disciplinary action follows weeks of protests on campus against the Supreme Court’s stay on the UGC’s Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, and against the installation of magnetic gates and face-recognition cameras at the B.R. Ambedkar Central Library.
In a strongly worded statement, the JNUSU accused the university administration of acting in bad faith. The union claimed that the administration had earlier assured students that surveillance systems would not be installed, but reintroduced them during the JNUSU elections in November 2025, allegedly violating those assurances.
The university administration has maintained that the action was taken after students damaged public property during protests. However, the students’ union rejected the charge, alleging selective action and pointing to past instances where, it claimed, violence and vandalism by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) went unpunished.
The development has further sharpened tensions at the university, with students warning of intensified protests in the coming days. (Agencies)
