JNU students fined for keeping 'unauthorised guests' at hostel, union protests

JNUSU alleged several hostel residents were "wrongly" fined. (Representational)

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union on Thursday alleged several hostel residents were "wrongly" fined for allowing first-year students, who have not yet been alloted accommodation, to stay in their rooms.

In a letter to Dean of students (DoS), Sudheer Pratap Singh, the students body urged the administration to immediately intervene in the matter and revoke all the fines imposed on the students in the name of 'warden checks'.

"Many residents of the hostels are being fined Rs 2,000 for keeping 'unauthorised guests' in their rooms. However, it should be clarified that a majority of such unauthorised persons are students of JNU (from 2021 Batch) who have not yet been allotted hostel by the university," the letter stated.

JNUSU councillor Anagha Pradeep said several hostels in the last few days were "raided" in the name of warden checks and many second and third-year students have been fined for keeping "unauthorised persons."

"They have been wrongly fined. A friend of mine received a notice asking her to submit the fine of Rs 2,000 on Thursday for keeping unauthorised guests. The university has threatened that if she failed to pay the fine, her room will be double locked. How will these students submit fines on short notice?? she said.

The university administration, however, said wardens have been carrying out checks in several hostels to remove unauthorised people staying in the hostels.

"The wardens are only removing people who have been living in hostels without permission, not the authorised occupants," Singh said.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) also alleged that the students have been fined more than what is mentioned in the university manual.

"According to the manual of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the 'hostel resident(s) on account of harbouring unauthorised person(s) in his/her room would be fined in the first instance Rs 1,000', but many students are being fined Rs 2,000 for the same and that too in short notice," JNUSU said in a statement.
Reacting to this, Singh said the students have been fined as per the manual and not more than that.

"The action has been taken as per the manual and students have also been fined as per the manual," he said.