⚫ JNU is holding an inquiry against 12 students for allegedly barging into closed reading rooms.

⚫ First-year students of South Asian University (SAU) are boycotting their online classes over withheld scholarships and freeships.

⚫ Delhi University students are campaigning for the campus to be reopened and the students vaccinated against Covid.

Students fearful of the Covid resurgence spoiling another academic year have gone on the warpath, demanding universities reopen campuses for in-person classes and the Centre relax its over-45-only policy to vaccinate them.

The students’ frustration at what they see as the authorities’ rigidity has led to certain unusual situations.

For instance, JNU reopened the reading rooms at its main library two days after several research students forcibly entered them on March 10 –– indirectly acknowledging the justice of the students’ demand –– but has started an inquiry against 12 students in connection with the act.

JNU had allowed its research students back into the campus a few months ago but reopened the main library only for lending books. It kept the reading rooms, which have wi-fi facility, shut citing the Covid protocol.

This week, 12 students received a notice from the proctor’s office to appear before an inquiry and explain the March 10 “indiscipline” and violation of Covid rules.

“We didn’t do any damage; a few students entered the reading rooms forcibly,” Kaushik Rai, a PhD student, said.

“When the students were ready to follow (social-distancing) protocols, there was no reason to deny them (entry into the reading rooms). This action (inquiry) is uncalled for.”

Rai said he had merely protested outside the library on March 10 but had still received the notice, accusing him of forced entry.

An email to vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar seeking the reasons for the closure of the reading rooms till the March 10 protest has remained unanswered.

The 200-odd first-year students of SAU, an international university in Delhi for students from Saarc countries, have been boycotting their online classes for the past two weeks.

All research students at SAU are entitled to scholarships of Rs 25,000 a month apart from free accommodation. Most of the master’s students get either a freeship, under which they are reimbursed the tuition and hostel fees, or a scholarship –– which means a freeship plus Rs 5,000 a month.

The first-year students, admitted online last October, are yet to receive their scholarships or freeships.

“The university has decided to confirm the admissions only after ‘physical verification’ (students coming in person with their documents),” a student who didn’t want to be identified said.

The students allege the university has not set a timetable for physical verification and has, instead, precluded such verification by requesting the Indian missions in the Saarc countries via the foreign ministry not to issue visas to the first-year students.

“So we are provisional students now, and are not getting our dues,” the student who requested anonymity said.

An email to SAU president (equivalent to a vice-chancellor elsewhere) Ranjan Kumar Mohanty about the students’ complaint has brought no response yet.

Delhi University students began an online campaign two weeks ago seeking reopening of the campus and Covid vaccination.

“The university should facilitate vaccination for the students,” Surendra Singh, a student, said.

Under the Centre’s current policy, those under 45 can be Covid-vaccinated only if they are healthcare or frontline workers. On Tuesday, the government’s top health officials rejected calls from some doctors and state governments to vaccinate all adults.

JNU student N. Sai Balaji said that university students across the country were demanding vaccination and the resumption of in-person classes.

About 30 students of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication here have been demonstrating in front of the institution for a few hours every day over the past four days demanding resumption of physical classes.