JNU teachers, students protest delayed promotions, other issues on campus

NEW DELHI: Members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association began a 24-hour hunger strike on campus on Monday to protest against alleged delays in promotions. The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) also launched an indefinite hunger strike on campus, demanding the resolution of several longstanding issues, including the revocation of proctorial inquiries initiated against students.

There was no immediate response from Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit on the strikes and the allegations levelled by the teachers and the students. More than a dozen professors from various departments associated with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) joined the sit-in at the School of Languages lawn. Posters bearing slogans such as "Promoting the truth about promotion", "Promotions are hard earned", and "Waiting for promotions" were put up at the protest site.

Demand for compensation

The protesters alleged promotions under the University Grants Commission's Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) had been selectively provided and delayed in many cases since 2016. Currently, CAS applications of more than 130 faculty members have not been processed, JNUTA president Moushumi Basu told PTI. The protesters demanded that the administration approve the delayed promotions and provide compensation for the years they worked without promotions. They added that the date of minimum eligibility should be considered the date of promotion.

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Students’ demands

Sixteen students, including JNUSU office bearers, launched the stir, demanding the opening of JNU's Barak hostel which was inaugurated in February but had since remained closed, an increase in merit-cum-means scholarship amount, and reinstatement of the gender sensitisation committee against sexual harassment, among others. The students have also been demanding the withdrawal of the Chief Proctor Office Manual which imposed fines of up to Rs 20,000 for staging protests in prohibited areas of the campus. It was notified last year. The student body alleged that it submitted a Charter of Demands to Pandit on April 12 but has not received any response.