The JNU Students’ Union protest against the Draft Hostel Manual entered its third day on Thursday, with the outfit alleging that it contains “regressive rules” and also has a provision for hostel fee hike.
The draft manual was brought out by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration without any consultation with the student community, the union has alleged. It contains many additions to the pre-existing hostel manual, which include a fee hike, provisions that propose a hostel curfew after 10.30 pm and a proposal for a dress code in the hostel mess, they said.
The students’ union has been demanding a rollback of the draft manual. On Thursday, they staged a sit-in at the administration block that houses the office of the vice-chancellor. The union has claimed that no official was present. The general bodies of different hostels on the JNU campus have held meetings on the issue and those of Lohit, Tapsi and Koyna hostels have extended support to the union and rejected the draft manual.
The union said a signature campaign is also underway against the manual. It has claimed that police was called on campus by the vice-chancellor late on Wednesday night following protest by students on the issue.
