JNU 17-day hunger strike ends: rustication of 5 students revoked, FIRs dropped
By TUF News Desk · Published 20 October 2026 · 4 min read
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Seventeen days after students at Jawaharlal Nehru University sat down on hunger strike, the agitation is over. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union announced the end of the protest on Tuesday, after the administration agreed to its demands, including revoking the rustication of five students and withdrawing the FIRs filed against protesters.
The agreement followed a meeting on Monday between student representatives and a committee headed by the dean of the School of Social Sciences, Prof Vivek Kumar. The minutes of that meeting list the decisions that ended the standoff, which began when the union was suspended in February, seven months ago.
What the university has agreed to do
In a notice dated October 19, the dean said Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit had directed the administration to revoke the rustication of five students with immediate effect. The five are union president Aditi Mishra, vice-president K Gopika Babu, general secretary Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali and former union president Nitish Kumar. They have been asked to pay their respective fines.
The university will also withdraw all FIRs filed against students, according to the minutes. Proctorial enquiries started during the protests over UGC regulations and hostel infrastructure will be dropped as well.
The Chief Proctor’s Office manual, one of the union’s main targets, will be reviewed by a committee that includes a union office-bearer as the elected student representative. The manual sets the campus discipline rules, and the union has long opposed the clauses that let the administration fine, suspend or rusticate students.
Hostels, scholarships and what comes next
The agreement also covers campus issues beyond the strike demands. Structural audits will be carried out on the Tapti and Mahi-Mandavi hostels and the Tefla cafeteria. Geysers in all hostels are to be made functional within two weeks.
A canteen will be opened in the CSLG, school libraries will stay open until 9 pm, and a committee will look at reopening the Barak hostel mess and providing Wi-Fi in hostels.
The administration will share an audit report on the Equal Opportunity Cell within a week and reorganise the cell with union office-bearers involved. A 25 per cent increase in Merit-cum-Means scholarships will be considered and recommended. Our guide to scholarships for Indian university students explains how MCM aid works.
Separate committees will be formed on hostel reservations and the JNU entrance examination (JNUEE), with union office-bearers represented on both. The administration also agreed to recommend discontinuing the Siddhanta Knowledge Foundation, an initiative the students said put those without electronic devices at a disadvantage.
The committee will meet again after 14 working days to take the implementation forward.
What this settles
The strike began on October 3 with demands that included withdrawing the CPO manual, repairing campus infrastructure and revoking the rustication of the elected office-bearers, as we reported on day 16 of the agitation.
The rustication is now revoked and the FIRs are being withdrawn. What stays open is implementation. The review committees still have to be formed and report back, and the remaining promises run on timelines of two weeks or less. The next meeting is due after 14 working days.
Frequently asked questions
Why did JNU students end their 17-day hunger strike?
JNUSU called off the strike on October 20 after the university agreed to revoke the rustication of five students, withdraw FIRs against protesters, and review the Chief Proctor’s Office manual. Minutes of an October 19 meeting between student representatives and a committee headed by the Dean of Social Sciences record the decisions.
Which five students had their rustication revoked?
JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, vice-president K Gopika Babu, general secretary Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali and former JNUSU president Nitish Kumar. An October 19 notice says the revocation takes immediate effect and the students must pay their respective fines.
What will happen to the JNU Chief Proctor’s Office manual?
A committee that includes a JNUSU office-bearer as the elected student representative will review the manual’s contentious clauses. The manual sets the campus discipline rules, and the union has opposed provisions allowing fines, suspension and rustication.
Frequently asked questions
Why did JNU students end their 17-day hunger strike?
JNUSU called off the strike on October 20 after the university agreed to revoke the rustication of five students, withdraw FIRs against protesters, and review the Chief Proctor's Office manual. Minutes of an October 19 meeting between student representatives and a committee headed by the Dean of Social Sciences record the decisions.
Which five students had their rustication revoked?
JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, vice-president K Gopika Babu, general secretary Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali and former JNUSU president Nitish Kumar. An October 19 notice says the revocation takes immediate effect and the students must pay their respective fines.
What will happen to the JNU Chief Proctor's Office manual?
A committee that includes a JNUSU office-bearer as the elected student representative will review the manual's contentious clauses. The manual sets the campus discipline rules, and the union has opposed provisions allowing fines, suspension and rustication.
Sources: The Indian Express, The Hindu, Deccan Herald