Students Begin Strike at JNU Against Expulsion of Union Leaders

New Delhi: Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have begun a strike in protest against the expulsion of five students, including all four office-bearers of the JNUSU (JNU Students’ Union). The decision to hold the strike was taken during a General Body Meeting of the School of Social Sciences (SSS) on Tuesday night, demanding the university administration revoke the expulsion order and address other grievances.

Why the Union Leaders Were Expelled
On 21 November, incidents of vandalism at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library, including damage to face-recognition-based access gates, led to allegations of violence and disruption of academic and administrative work. As a result, JNU administration imposed a two-semester restriction (Winter and Monsoon 2026) on JNUSU President Aditi Mishra, Vice President K. Gopika, General Secretary Sunil Yadav, Joint Secretary Danish Ali, and former JNUSU President Nitish Kumar.

The administration also banned these students from campus entry and levied fines ranging from ₹19,000 to ₹20,000.

Union Calls Action an Attack on Student Representation
JNUSU has condemned the action as an assault on the student union, highlighting that the restrictions cover the entire tenure of the union’s term.

Protests and Campus March
On Wednesday, students of SSS staged a demonstration, boycotted classes, burned copies of the Chief Proctor’s Manual, and raised slogans against the administration. The demands include the revocation of expulsion, out-of-bounds orders, fines, and the CPO manual. Under the union’s leadership, a campus march was held, and students vowed that the strike will continue until their demands are met.