JNU, hostel presidents discuss fee hike; meeting inconclusive

New Delhi : The JNU administration on Thursday held a meeting with the presidents of 18 university hostels to discuss the issue of the proposed fee hike and hostel draft manual.

While the administration termed the meet "a significant step towards normalisation", the student leaders were, however, not happy with the outcome of the meeting.

The meeting which was attended by the Vice-Chancellor, three rectors, Registrar and Dean and associate deans of students took place in the office of the Vice Chancellor in the administrative building, which was earlier occupied by the agitating students for several days and was made free only after the High Court's order on Wednesday.

"The Vice-Chancellor started on a positive note by expressing the need to expeditiously restore the normal academic activities, including the conduct of the end semester examinations," a statement shared by the JNU administration and signed by the Registrar read.

"He emphasized that the interest of bona fide students is of top priority in the university," the statement added. The administration post meeting claimed that the meet was a "significant step towards normalizing the situation in the university."

However, the student community refuted the administration's claims. President of Sabarmati Hostel, Monica Bishnoi who attended the meeting told IANS: "The meeting was not at all called to normalize the situation... it was called just to show MHRD that the university administration is following their instruction to get in dialogue."

In a joint statement released by the hostel presidents who came out of the meeting, they accused the Vice-Chancellor of not replying to the demands and "running away".

"Nothing conclusive came out from the administration's side. When the hostel presidents started to ask the VC tough questions he concluded the meeting and ran away," the statement read. The President of Damodar hostel, Amardeep echoed the statement and dismissed claims made by the administration.