New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has entered a fresh phase of confrontation between students and the administration, with the rustication of all four JNUSU office-bearers and a former union president for two semesters, alongside hefty fines imposed on several students.
The action follows sustained campus protests against the Supreme Court’s stay on the UGC’s Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 and against the installation of magnetic gates and face-recognition cameras at the B.R. Ambedkar Central Library.
In a strongly worded statement, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) alleged that the administration acted in bad faith.
“It is a well-known fact that JNU students have been protesting against the magnetic gates and face-recognition cameras… The administration had repeatedly assured that these surveillance arrangements would not be installed,” the union said, accusing the authorities of reintroducing them during the JNUSU elections in November 2025, in violation of earlier commitments.
The administration has claimed that students damaged public property a charge the union has rejected, pointing to past instances where, it alleged, violence and vandalism by ABVP members went unpunished. The union also linked the crackdown to what it described as a broader attempt to weaken democratic spaces on campus and suppress dissent against “saffronisation” and the commodification of public education.
Police said accused rented bank accounts for commission. They also busted a Rs 1 lakh fake furniture delivery fraud and a Rs 24.80 lakh crypto scam, seizing devices, freezing Rs 1.55 crore, and
continuing probes.