Students On Streets, JNU Conducts Convocation With Short Speech By Venkaiah Naidu

Hundreds of students staged protests outside the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday where the varsity is hosting its third convocation with Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu as chief guest. The protests, which started in the morning, is part of the agitation against the hostel manual and several other issues like restrictions by the administration on entry to the Parthasarathy Rocks, attempts to lock students’ union office, according to the students.

They claimed that the manual has provisions for fee hike, curfew timings and dress code restrictions.

Students wanted to march towards the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), where Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is addressing a convocation, but the gates have been barricaded.

They have said they will not end the strike till the Hostel Manual is withdrawn.

The Monday’s protest is also part of the students’ agitation against the hostel manual and several other issues like restrictions by the administration on entry to Parathasarathy Rocks, attempts to lock students’ union office, etc, they said.

Last year, the varsity held its second convocation after a period of 46 years.

Last year, the students’ union called for boycotting the convocation, accusing JNU VC M Jagadesh Kumar of “muzzling their democratic rights”.

The first convocation of the university was held in 1972, when G Parthasarathi was the vice-chancellor.

The candidates who have been awarded their degrees from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 will be eligible to be conferred their Ph.D degree at the convocation.