JNU attendance row: Two FIRs against students for 'wrongful restraint' of staff in admin block

NEW DELHI: Two FIRs have been registered against students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) after they had occupied the administration block and restricted two senior officials and staff members from leaving the building for hours. The two FIRs filed by the Delhi police are for wrongful restraint of two rectors - Chintamani Mahapatra and Rana Pratap Singh - in the administration block.

"Based on two separate complaints filed by the officials, two FIRs have been registered with the Vasant Kunj North Police Station," the police officer said. One more FIR has been filed against students who blocked the road near the administration office, demanding the withdrawal of compulsory attendance ruling of the university. However, it is not yet known that how many students have been named in the FIR. 

Several students had gheraoed the administrative block in the campus demanding a meeting with Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar against the decision to make 75 per cent attendance compulsory in the varsity. Hundreds of students, led by Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU), had also gathered outside the gates of the building.

A human chain was formed by students around the building, skits and mimes were performed through the day near the main entrance of the administration block to mark their protest against the administrative decision. Security guards had to be deployed to block the students from entering the building.  

Staffers at the university had claimed that students had confined a few professors and abused them. But the students refuted the charges saying they had not blocked any gates. "We demand to meet the JNU VC. We have been waiting to meet him since the morning. We have not blocked any gate, we are only waiting for him. We demand the circular over mandatory attendance be taken back and call a meeting of the academic council," Geeta, All India Students Association had said.

Calling the gherao an "illegal confinement", a group of professors sat on a dharna after they were not allowed to go in to let their colleagues out. The students raised slogans against the professors.

The students have been demanding the revocation of the decision to have compulsory 75 percent attendance in an academic year to availing scholarships and fellowships.