JNU debunks claims of library closure, says it's being relocated

NEW DELHI : The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Friday rejected the claims by student groups that a library has been closed, saying it is being relocated to the adjoining building. A number of student groups including the Left-affiliated AISA had claimed that the Centre for Historical Studies (CHS) Library is being closed to accommodate the newly created Special Center for Tamil Studies.

In a statement issued on Friday, the JNU alleged that misinformation is being spread in the university. "All the members/students concerned of the university are hereby informed that as part of an internal arrangement, the university has planned to relocate the existing CHS Library to the adjoining building. Relocation has been always been taking place in the JNU. Moreover, this has been passed by the EC unanimously," the varsity said. The proposed arrangement would not only facilitate the activities of one of the important Indian languages but also ensure prudent use of space on the campus without affecting the academic activities of CHS or any other centre, it emphasised.

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Earlier in the day, the All India Students' Association (AISA) said the JNU administration has decided to shut down the Centre for Historical Studies Library building. "The space will be allocated to the Special Centre for Tamil Studies for which the JNU VC has received Rs 10 cr from the Tamil Nadu government. Consequently, the existing CHS library is being relocated to the Exim Bank library building which is already facing a space crunch as it already houses numerous publications & books from other departments. The decision was implemented overnight without any prior intimation to the centre, resulting in a complete shock to the CHS community," the AISA had claimed.