JNUTA condemns intimidation, asks education ministry to appoint full-time Vice Chancellor

NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) on Saturday condemned institutional intimidation against teachers. The JNUTA had also spoken out against the continued inaction of the JNU administration and the Delhi Police on the violence on the JNU campus on January 5.

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In a press statement, the JNU teachers association said, “JNUTA strongly condemns brazen incidents of recent intimidation by Jagadesh Kumar of faculty members in different Statutory bodies of JNU. This involves actions that range from openly insulting members by passing insinuating remarks against them, not allowing them to speak in online meetings, and selectively instituting “enquiry committees” against them.”

"It is disconcerting to note that faculty members are increasingly finding it impossible to have faith in the present administration of JNU, as multiple orders of High Court have pointed out the illegalities committed by the Vice Chancellor," it said.

The JNUTA also asked the ministry of education to end the “illegal extension” of M Jagadesh Kumar, who is now the caretaker vice-chancellor of JNU. They further demanded the appointment of a full-time Vice-Chancellor for JNU.

The JNUTA further alleged that “spurious enquiries to harass teachers, denial of legitimate leave, to stopping of retirement benefits, are tactics have been adopted by the present VC in the past to silence voices that seek to raise questions on the illegalities being constantly committed by him.”

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The JNU teachers association alleged that the Dean “willfully misrepresented the opinion of majority of members” in a meeting. However, after members raised objections through an email to the Rector and to the Dean, the minutes of the meeting was corrected, it said.

Condemning two years of inaction of the JNU administration, the JNUTA had called for a social media campaign, gathering Twitter posts with the hashtag ‘#TwoyearsofJNUAttack’.

After drawing flak, the JNU on December 29 modified the language of its public invitation for counselling on sexual harassment and removed the line "girls are supposed to know how to draw a tangible line between them and their male friends".