JNU hunger strike over PhD admissions | UGC-NET vs JNUEE

At the heart of one of India’s premier universities, students are quite literally putting their health on the line. Hunger strikes, protest placards, and powerful demands all over what they’re calling an exclusionary admission process.

Yes we are talking about the Jawaharlal Nehru University JNU which is once again at the centre of student unrest.

The university’s decision to scrap its in-house PhD entrance exam JNUEE and rely solely on UGC-NET scores for PhD admissions this year. But here’s the catch: the June 2025 cycle of NET was still going on when the application process began leaving out an entire batch of aspirants.

The JNU Students’ Union has launched an indefinite hunger strike. Their demands go beyond just entrance exams; from revoking hostel eviction notices to increasing merit scholarships and stopping what they call targeted proctorial action against student protesters.

At the heart of this movement is JNUSU led by President Nitish Kumar. He and other office bearers along with association members haven’t eaten for days, and they say this protest isn’t just about an exam it’s about exclusion, equity, and the right to be heard.

Now, while the JNUSU is fighting for autonomy and inclusivity, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or ABVP, JNU’s largest right-wing student group has distanced itself from the strike. But interestingly, even they agree that the current PhD admissions timeline is flawed. July 7 is the last date to apply while NET results, and even CSIR-NET exams, are still pending.

But when it comes to bringing back JNUEE, the ABVP draws the line. They argue that UGC-NET despite its issues is more accessible and less biased than a university-designed exam conducted only in English.

So, the debate continues standardisation versus subjectivity, centralisation versus autonomy, and ultimately: who gets to pursue research in India, and who gets left out?