JNU VC defends hostel fee hike decision, says it was not taken in haste

Amid the ongoing standoff between Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and JNU Students Union (JNUSU), VC Kumar on Sunday (January 12) said that the a committee was formed to hold discussions over raising the hostel fees in 2016 and it would to wrong to say that this decision was taken in a hurry.

"The decision of hostel fee hike was not taken in a hurry. The committee for this purpose was formed in 2016 and I am sure several discussions took place at the warden level," said Kumar.

Commenting on January 5 violence in which several masked goons had entered JNU campus and attacked students, VC Kumar said that it is a matter of the past now and we should not discuss this now.  "Whatever happened has happened in the past, let us leave that. We should focus on how to make the university function properly and look for a positive future," he added.

For his part, JNU Rector Chintamani Mahapatra said that the students have the right to protest but the protest should be done in a democratic manner and it should not take violent turn.

"We know students have the right to protest as we have a democracy but protests should be done without breaking the law. They have the right to boycott but they have no right to stop faculty from entering into various places at the campus," said Mahapatra.

"You can come up with the suggestions that how we can encourage students to stay in the hostels. There is a sense of insecurity surely. But I strongly feel that soul searching should be done by faculties," he added.

Meanwhile, JNU VC Kumar expressed confidence that students and faculty members will participate overwhelmingly in the new semester scheduled to start from January 13. "We routinely hold meetings with the deans and faculty members. We had a long meeting with them. We have explained to them the steps taken to bring normalcy to the university. From tomorrow the classes will start," he said.

"All the teachers expressed the difficulties caused to them in the last few days as they were stopped from going into the schools. All laboratory experiments have stopped. The teachers are happy that the classes are going to start. We are positively looking forward towards starting the new semester," he added.