JNUSU stays put in campus office despite eviction notice

New Delhi: After a night of drama, the newly-elected Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) on Thursday refused to vacate office premises inside the campus. This comes after the JNU adminitration sent an eviction notice to JNUSU, earlier on Tuesday, ordering them to vacate the office on its premises.

Not adhering to that and calling the decision a "destruction of rights and voice of the students", the union occupied the office premise and spent Wednesday night there, refusing to budge.

Speaking to Millennium Post, Sai Balaji, former president of the students union said, "If they want to remove us, they will have to forcefully take us out."

In a statement by JNUSU, it had called the denial of the right and legitimacy of student unions "all over the nation."

Meanwhile, political parties have come in support of one of the most prestigious universities. CPI(M) on Thursday accused JNU of targeting students. The CPI(M) politburo alleged that under the present government all central educational institutions were subject to "regimentation" and academic freedom and that democratic rights were under "assault".

"Imagine if Parliament is locked? It means people's voice has been locked. Threat to lock JNUSU office is locking 8,500 students voice," said the statement from the Students Union.

Dean of Students, Professor Umesh Kadam had on Tuesday sent a notice to the JNU students' union asking them to vacate their offices. However, a source inside the campus, has called the new union a little weak.