JNUSU Elections: Students Gherao Dean Office Over Delay In Polls

The students raised slogans like "WeWantOurUnionBack" and "revoke proctorial inquiries,” during the demonstration.

Students of the Jawaharlal University on Wednesday, staged a demonstration outside the Dean office, over the delay in conduct of JNUSU (JNU Student Union) elections. Led by the JNUSU, the students group demanded the immediate release of dates for the students union election, as they ‘gheraoed’ the office of the Dean of Students (DoS) Manuradha Chaudhary.

Notably, while the last JNUSU elections were held in 2019, there has been no students union election in JNU in the past four years. During the protest, students also raised "WeWantOurUnionBack" and "revoke proctorial inquiries" slogans, while also demanding redressal of infrastructural issues in the campus. 

The JNUSU gave a call for Gherao DoS today with the demand of immediate conduct of JNUSU elections, addressing the hostel infrastructure, opening of Barack Hostel, release of hostel single seater list,” news agency PTI reported an official JNUSU statement as saying. 

“Although Associate DoS met the JNUSU delegation, there was no concrete response regarding the election dates. The only response received was regarding the hostel lists, which will be processed by the end of this month," the statement added. 

The JNUSU has also called students of the university for participation in the protest and non-cooperation with the administration, until and unless the administration notifies the dates for the JNUSU elections. The JNUSU further reportedly appealed to students to gather at the SL-SIS lawn on Thursday for a ‘Postcard Campaign’ to raise a demand for greater “campus democracy”.

Earlier on Tuesday, JNU VC Santishree D Pandit was reported as saying that the university doesn’t have an officially nominated students union, since the matter is subjudice. “The students union elections are not halted, we need to follow rules set by the Lyngdoh committee," the JNU VC told PTI. She further added that since the matter is in the court, the varsity doesn’t have an officially recognised students union. 

Since the last JNUSU election in 2019, the students union and the varsity administration has been in loggerheads ver the recognition of the JNUSU since 2019. The JNU administration had refused to notify the students union officially citing technicality in the poll results. 

(With inputs from PTI)

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