Despite dissent from the majority of members present in the meeting, the V-C has agreed to JNUTA’s demand with an intention of restoring normalcy on campus.
The JNU Vice Chancellor, Jagdesh Kumar and the teachers’ association made peace with each other on Tuesday, when the V-C agreed to the three demands of the teachers association. The V-C has agreed to expand the internal inquiry committee set up to investigate into the February 9 incident from a three-member to a five-member team. He has also assured protection to the five students booked under sedition charges and has assured the teachers that police will not be allowed to enter the campus and arrest students.
Despite dissent from the majority of members present in the meeting, the V-C has agreed to JNUTA’s demand with an intention of restoring normalcy on campus.
Ever since the constitution of the inquiry committee that was set up to investigate the February 9 incident on campus, the teachers’ body has been demanding expansion of the committee. The V-C’s three-member committee was rejected by JNU teachers’ association and the students. “The committee had no woman representative and nobody from the marginalised community. So we were opposing it,” said Professor Bikramaditya Choudhary, Secretary of JNUTA.
The V-C has also assured the teachers that it will not allow the police to enter the campus. Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested from the campus by the Delhi police on February 11. The police had then also searched the hostel rooms of the students. The move had brought massive criticism onto the V-C who is just a month-old in the institution. The university will now also ensure security to the five students on the university campus.
While only four of the 16 deans pushed for the three demands, the rest wanted the law to take its own course. “We opposed the move, since the matter is now with the judiciary and things should be dealt with as per the constitution of this country. But the V-C completely succumbed to the demands of the four left wing teacher representatives,” said one of the deans opposing the V-C's new position.
But, the university administration wants to restore normalcy on campus, which has been on the boil for the past two weeks. “Academics is being hampered and JNU is drawing criticism from all over the globe. The university administration wants the students to get back to the classrooms,” said a university functionary.
The inquiry committee that was to submit its report on February 25 has been given a week's extension. The committee will now submit its report to the university on March 3.
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