Several student organisations, teachers and opposition lawmakers held a joint press conference on Thursday to express solidarity with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) and oppose disciplinary action taken against its office bearers, PTI reported
Speakers at the event called on the JNU administration to revoke the rustication of all JNUSU office bearers and a former union president, and to withdraw fines imposed on students.
Raja Ram Singh, a Lok Sabha member from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, said the rustication of four office bearers was unjustified and that the university library should remain accessible to all students. He said successive measures since 2014 were aimed at weakening the institution.
Rajya Sabha member V. Sivadasan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the university authorities were acting against the principles Jawaharlal Nehru stood for, accusing them of restricting research and curbing students’ democratic rights.
Sashikant Senthil, a Congress lawmaker from Karnataka, described the rustication as unprecedented, saying the university was moving towards increased surveillance while cutting back on scholarships. He said the action was an attack on free thinking and pledged continued support for the students.
The press conference was addressed by Lok Sabha members Sashikant Senthil, Rajkumar Raut and Raja Ram Singh. Faculty members from JNU and Delhi University also participated.
The JNU administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Speakers said punitive action against elected student representatives undermined democratic spaces on university campuses and weakened public higher education, adding that such measures targeted dissent and discouraged students from raising concerns related to equity, access and academic freedom.
Representatives from several student and teachers’ organisations, including the All India Students’ Association (AISA), All India Students’ Federation (AISF), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Dalit Students’ Front (DSF), were present.
The JNU administration has rusticated five PhD students, including four JNUSU office bearers, for two semesters after finding them guilty of vandalising facial recognition technology access gates at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Central Library on Nov. 21, 2025