 The administration and students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University have been at loggerheads ever since the university last month, reversed the age old tradition of no attendance policy and imposed compulsory attendance in the university. Since then, over 7000 students of the varsity have collectively boycotted the compulsory attendance and teachers too have refused to mark attendance. It is interesting to note that JNU, which is one of the top universities in our country, has never had a system of compulsory attendance and according to teachers, education was based on a mutual trust between the faculty and students. Teachers over the past five decades of the university can attest to the fact that there has never been a problem of student absenteeism in the university as will the students about teachers taking regular classes. Why the attendance boycotted then? It is antithetical to the ideals of the university and to learning in general. Where is the staff to compute the attendance records of each of 8000 odd students on the roles when students can add and drop courses across the university as well as take extra courses. This attendance scheme also includes research scholars. This seems really absurd seeing how the creativity that is needed in writing a dissertation can only be nurtured through freedom and a discipline that comes from within. The university is not a prison and research supervisors and chairs are not jail wardens. The teachers claim that the university administration has arbitrarily imposed this compulsory attendance policy without any constructive debate in the academic council meetings and the dissent notes by many members were expunged in the council meetings. Failing to make students comply with the attendance system and also facing resistance from the teachers community, the university is planning to impose a biometric attendance system to bypass the boycott. The administration has threatened to cut fellowships if students do not fulfil the minimum attendance criteria. In a university in which close to 25% of students come from families whose monthly income is below 6000 rupees and who mainly rely on these fellowships to sustain their academic costs, this decision which was not part of the notified rules on attendance seems to be outrageous. The university administration has been in constant clash with the student and teacher community ever since the present vice chancellor Jagdish Kumar Mamidala took office on 27 January 2016. He is accused of excesses and use of arbitrary power to run the university. Students are taking open classes as students claim that they are not against attending classes but against this dictatorial firmament of the VC. Students and teachers of the varsity are coming out in large numbers to protest this compulsory attendance system and are demanding resignation from the vice chancellor.