JNUTA condemns Jadavpur University violence; backs JUTA’s protest, call for investigation

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has condemned the violence at Jadavpur University and expressed solidarity with its students and teachers, calling for an immediate, impartial and thorough investigation into the incident. In a statement issued today, JNUTA described the violence as an attack on the university and said it was a “dark echo” of the January 2020 incident at JNU, when a mob had assaulted students and teachers on campus.

ABVP, left-leaning student groups clash

The statement comes after a clash between ABVP and left-leaning student groups at Jadavpur University on the night of August 19. Several students were injured, with some taken to hospital for treatment. Rival groups also raised issues over the presence of outsiders, while fires and vandalism were reported on the campus.

JNUTA said the incident was an assault on democratic character of higher education institutions. It maintained that universities should remain spaces for intellectual pursuit, democratic debate, critical inquiry and peaceful dissent.

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“Disagreements and political differences” within university campuses, it said, should be resolved through democratic dialogue rather than physical violence, administrative repression or intimidation.

JNUTA also called upon the university administration and law enforcement agencies to protect studentsThe statement reads, "Those responsible for physically attacking students on campus must be identified and held accountable without impunity or administrative shield. The spirit of a public university cannot be broken by such acts of brutal and cowardly violence. We call upon the academic community and civil society across the country to unite in defense of Jadavpur University, campus democracy, and the safety of students and teachers."

The teachers’ association extended its support to the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA)’s call for protest and its demand for an investigation into the violence.

The association urged the academic community and civil society across the country to unite in support of Jadavpur University, campus democracy and the safety of students and teachers.