IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, Feb 18: CPI-M General Secretary and former JNU Student Union president Sitaram Yechury on Friday took a delegation of current JNUSU officials to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to apprise the President of India with the situation erupted at the university in the wake of the controversial UGC admission policy. The delegation included JNUSU president Mohit K Panday.
The delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee as Visitor of JNU and reportedly sought his intervention.
The JNU administration has implemented the May 2016 notification of UGC regarding admission in MPhil and PhD courses at central universities. As the new policy restricts number of scholars under each professor and assistant professor, it is said to have resulted in massive cut in seats for MPhil and PhD courses.
Demanding withdrawal of the UGC notification, some students have been on hunger strike at JNU for around three weeks. JNUSU has organized several protest marches.
This past Tuesday, JNU teachers also took out a protest march towards the Parliament House.
The protest march was also participated by Digvijaya Singh of Congress, D Raja of CPI and Ali Ahmed Ansari of JD-U.
For some days, students have blocked the Administrative building at JNU.
Reacting over the continued protests and blockade, JNU VC M. Jagadesh Kumar said: “It is time for the University community to come forward and save the institution from detractors and agitators who appear hellbent upon making JNU dysfunctional. Ever since the evening of 9 February 2017, the entire Administration building is under seize by JNUSU led students occupying the space inside the building and some other student groups blocking entry and exit from outside.”
With regard to 2016 UGC gazette notification on MPhil and PhD admissions, he said: “We have amply made it clear in all our previous meetings that it is mandatory for all Universities to follow. The UGC too has confirmed this. As explained in the attached note by the Director of Admissions, our admission policy includes all the socially inclusive past practices of JNU within the parameters of the UGC gazette notification…”
“With regard to student intake, the number of vacancies in MPhil and PhD are tied to the number of faculty on roll in the University. From the coming session, the number of vacancies will be calculated based on the upper caps given in 2016 UGC gazette,” said the VC.
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