Several student activists from Jawaharlal Nehru University have claimed that they have been suspended this semester, including the JNUSU President N Sai Balaji. The previous JNUSU President, Geeta Kumari has also been suspended academically this semester.
Balaji and the rest of the JNUSU have been the target of the JNU administration for a while now since they have been attacking many of the management's policies. The students say the suspension is a result of the fact that they stood up against the unfair policies of the administration.
The students were not allowed to register for the semester and the reason given was that they had been academically suspended by the Chief Proctor Office.
"After blocking my MPhil Degree JNU VC has now academically suspended me along with other student activists. What is my crime? Fighting against online entrance exam scam, raising RSS-ABVP Murdabad slogans, marching with contract workers demanding Equal Pay for Same Work, fighting against 80% library budget cut and many more anti Student policies," said Balaji, who is research scholar with the Centre of International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament in the School of International Studies.
Geeta Kumari also took to Facebook to say that just like any other semester, this year too, the VC had found a way to stall their education. "This semester it isn't a fine but a suspension. The VC has never made it easy for us to be students," she said.
Another student activist, Kaushik Raj who has also been academically suspended also blamed it on the fact that he has been raising his voice against anti-student policies. "For standing up for an inclusive, socially just university, we are being punished and criminalised. They want us to remain silent on the seat cut, the fee hike, undermining of the board of studies and the academic council," he said. He said this was just another attempt to harass students.
The University has not responded to the accusations.
