JNU students allege that faculty members manhandled them during 143rd Academic Council meet
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration found itself going head-to-head with teachers and students once again on Friday during the second round of the 143rd Academic Council (AC) meeting. The meeting was held on the issue of seat cuts in MPhil and PhD courses.
While a section of students alleged they were ‘manhandled’ by some faculty members when they objected to the way agendas were being passed by Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar during the meeting, JNU authorities said the latter tried to disrupt the meeting.
“There was no space for deliberation and reasoned debate. The Vice Chancellor was passing one agenda after the other without any discussion and when we objected to it, his stooges started manhandling some of the students’ representatives,” said Mohit Kumar Pandey, President, JNU Students Union.
“The faculty members who are part of the AC, namely Atul Johari and Ashwini Mahapatra, heckled JNUSU Joint Secretary Tabrez Hassan and even held him by his collar,” he added.
“The allegations made by the students are baseless. I tried to stop some of them from clicking my pictures. They were trying to obstruct the meeting. We also demanded the VC to take disciplinary action against the students,” said Mahapatra.
Pandey also uploaded a series of video clips of the meeting in which some professors were seen shouting and arguing with each other. The administration, however, criticised the move. “Students were unethically video recording and sharing the meeting’s proceedings on social media to politicise the matter. The allegations levelled by the students are completely baseless,” said JNU Rector Chintamani Mahapatra.
JNU Teachers’ Association president Ayesha Kidwai termed the meeting as a “farce” and said that the VC and the Registrar refused to accept notes of dissent signed by more than one person. “All agenda items are being passed and no one is allowed to speak. Apparently, we cannot discuss items because they are sub-judice but they can be announced as passed by the VC,” she asked.
The Vice Chancellor did not respond when asked to comment.
Analysis
This is not the first time JNU authority and students are at loggerheads over differences in their opinions during the AC meeting. It’s high time both the parties should change their approach.
While students need to put aside their political inclinations while attending such meetings, the VC and JNU authority also need to listen to everyone present rather than abruptly passing the agendas.
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