New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University has put in place new rules that appear to be an attempt to thwart campus protests. Students can be fined up to Rs 20,000 for holding dharnas, and have their admission cancelled or be fined up to Rs 30,000 if they hold gheraos or are accused of violence.
The new ‘Rules of Discipline and proper conduct of students of JNU’, running up to 10 pages, details punishments for several activities that have been classified as ‘misconduct and indiscipline’. The rules, NDTV reported, appear to have been implemented on February 3. That timeline overlaps with a period when the campus saw protest screenings of the BBC documentary on Narendra Modi’s alleged involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots. The administration had tried various ways to stall the protests, including allegedly cutting off the electricity.
The new rules were reportedly approved by JNU’s Executive Council.
Chief proctor Rajnish Mishra told PTI, “There were rules mentioned in the statute. However, the new rules have been formulated after a proctorial enquiry.”
The various punishments listed include “cancellation of admission or withdrawal of degree or denial of registration for a specified period, rustication up to four semesters and/or declaring any part or the entire JNU campus out of bounds, expulsion, a fine of up to Rs 30,000 as per the old rules, One/two semesters of eviction from the hostel.”
A full list of the offences mentioned and the corresponding punishments is below:
