SKM Denounces JNU's Clampdown on Student Leaders, Calls for Reversal

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) criticized JNU's administration for punishing student leaders, alleging it violates students' democratic rights. SKM calls for withdrawal of rustication orders and fines. It urges President Murmu to reverse these decisions, expressing solidarity with students defending campus democracy from punitive actions by the administration.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has issued a scathing criticism of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration's recent actions against student leaders. This Friday, SKM condemned the rustication of student union officials, branding it a direct assault on the democratic nature of the university.

In their statement, SKM demanded the immediate retraction of the disciplinary measures, appealing to President Droupadi Murmu, visitor at the university, to intervene and overturn what they perceive as an 'unjust rustication'. The farmers' coalition claimed that the university's punitive stance towards protestors undermines essential academic freedoms.

Highlighting the imposition of measures like facial recognition technology without proper consultation, SKM accused the administration of criminalizing dissent. The ongoing student strike, supported by SKM, seeks to protect JNU's democratic traditions and calls for a return to transparent governance structures within the institution.

(With inputs from agencies.)