New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has rusticated five students, including four office-bearers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU), for two semesters over alleged vandalism during protests against the installation of a biometric access system at the Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library.
Those rusticated include current JNUSU president Aditi Mishra and former president Nitish Kumar. The remaining three students are also members of the students' union and are affiliated with Left-wing organisations.
As per the proctorial orders, all five students have been declared "out of bounds from the entire JNU campus" for the duration of the punishment and have been fined Rs 20,000 each.
The notice further warned that "any student who gives shelter to them in hostels or any other place in the JNU campus will be liable for disciplinary action". The students have also been directed to deposit the fine and submit proof to the Chief Proctor's Office.
The action, ordered by the university's Chief Proctor following a proctorial inquiry, relates to protests held last year against the installation of facial recognition technology at the library's entry gates. The administration has held the students responsible for damage to university property during the demonstrations.
The protests began in August 2025, with students opposing the system as a "surveillance apparatus" and an "infringement of privacy". According to the JNUSU, the biometric gates were installed in November during the student union election period, following which the newly elected union intensified protests. The university subsequently initiated disciplinary proceedings and filed police complaints against the students.
Responding to the university's decision, the JNUSU criticised the action, calling it a "crackdown" aimed at suppressing dissent on campus. "The rustication of the five students for two semesters and keeping them away from the campus reflects the anti-student agenda of the administration, which wishes to throw out the representatives elected by the students of the campus for voicing dissent," the union said.
The disciplinary move also triggered sharp criticism from the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA), which described the order as an attack on democratic functioning on campus. In a statement issued on February 3, the JNUTA said the administration's decision to declare the students "out of bounds" amounted to an "unprecedented act" and a "direct assault on the collective democratic rights of the University's student body".
University authorities confirmed that disciplinary orders had been issued but declined further comment.
An FIR was registered on December 5 at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station under Sections 324(3) and 324(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. On January 2, Delhi Police served notices to all five students in connection with the case.
