HRD Ministry rules JNU students will not bear utility charges for winter semester

The administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has clarified that the hostel students will not be charged utility services during the current registration for the 2020 winter semester. The Varsity announced the decision in a notification issued on Thursday.

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Varsity's notification

The statement read, "As per the record of discussion held in MHRD on resolving the JNU issue on December 10/11, 2019, UGC will bear the cost of Service and Utility charges proposed till further orders. The matter is being pursued at the appropriate level in the UGC"

There has been an uproar over the utility fee since the past month who have intensely protested against the decision of the government, which snowballed into a clash between students last weekend where students entered the server room of the university to disturb the registration process. 

On Sunday evening, JNU students were attacked by masked goons. Sources told Republic TV that as many as said 50-odd goons entered the campus and went on a rampage, attacking people and vandalising cars. JNU students union president Aishe Ghosh was severely injured. In the video that surfaced right after the attack, she is heard saying,

"I have been brutally attacked by goons wearing masks. I have been bleeding. I was brutally beaten up." However, her own role was later thrown in doubt as a video surfaced showing her allegedly leading a masked gang herself before the attack on the JNU campus took place.

The attack on JNU students had sparked nationwide protests with students from various universities across the country stood in solidarity with them. 

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Meanwhile, the ABVP had also alleged that its leaders had been attacked and their presidential candidate Manish Jangid has also been beaten up. Moreover, 11 of their workers are missing. Releasing a statement, Ashutosh Singh of ABVP alleged that they have been attacked by students affiliated to leftist student organizations. 

On Friday afternoon, the Delhi police addressed a press conference where the names of those who had been involved in the violence were released. The students, on the other hand, have demanded that the Vice-Chancellor resigns from the post and even held a march to the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

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