JNU students’ meet with VC fails to resolve issues

New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) The meeting with JNU Vice Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday, held after a long time, has failed to resolve the issues between the authorities and the students community, JNU Students Union (JNUSU) President Mohit Pandey said here.

"The VC (M. Jagadesh Kumar) didn't give us any assurance. He just heard what we said. We met him to show that JNU students do not believe only in protests, which is a measure of last resort," he told IANS on Thursday.

"We asked him to revoke the suspensions of the 12 students and to roll back the increase of weightage to viva, which unduly gives the university a chance to exercise prejudices," Pandey said.

During the meeting the students also asked the Vice Chancellor to stop using "threats" against students and to engage more in dialogue with them.

"We asked the VC to do away with his threatening tactics already. We believe in talks, but the other party is not willing. There have been many vice chancellors before him but none as supercilious as him," Pandey said.

According to him, the JNUSU raised the matter of post-graduate student Najeeb Ahmed's disappearance since October 14 night as well, and conveyed to the VC its unhappiness at Najeeb's alleged attackers being allowed to get away almost unpunished.

The meeting came after months of protests over a host of issues -- including Najeeb's disappearance -- the latest of which was the suspension of 12 students last month. They were mostly from student parties championing minority rights.

The students were suspended for protesting at the session of the university's Academic Council at the campus. The council decided to increase the weightage of interview in the entrance test for admission to M.Phil. and Ph.D programmes. Many teachers, who were members of the Council, also disapproved the move.