'Lunatic fringe' does not define JNU: Vice-chancellor Santishree Pandit

NEW DELHI: A "lunatic fringe" does not define the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said on Thursday, two days after slogans were raised by a section of students against the prime minister and the Union home minister.

Pandit said that "some slogans were raised two days ago," but the university "bounced back within 24 hours." "There are lunatics in every university, and these do not define the characteristics of this university," she said, addressing a conference on campus.

"JNU stands as the most nationalistic university in the country," she added. The university is "normal and peaceful", and the varsity runs "various narratives," she said.

"JNU is a brand. We are not limited to India; even New York's mayor has mentioned us," the VC said, adding, whatever is said in JNU has a "cosmic impact."

On Monday night, a group of students raised slogans against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah on the JNU campus during a protest that was held hours after the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both ex-JNU students, in the 2020 riots conspiracy case.

The event -- A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba -- was organised at Sabarmati Dhaba to mark the January 5, 2020, violence in which a mob of masked people entered the campus and attacked students and teachers with sticks and rods.

Also read JNUTA accuses JNU of 'criminalising protest', calls FIR over students' event 'ridiculous'

JNU conference discusses demographic change

Meanwhile, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit made her remarks at the conference, 'The M-Silent Invasion: Illegal Immigration to Mumbai: An Analysis of Socio-economic and Political Consequences.' It was organised by JNU in collaboration with the Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy, University of Mumbai, Adhishthan Samajik Sanstha, and the Demography Club of Mumbai.

At the conference, discussions were held on contemporary migration, with a particular focus on illegal immigration from Bangladesh and Myanmar, including Rohingya populations, and its implications for Mumbai. The panel discussed evidence of demographic restructuring, population imbalances and increasing pressure on civic resources.

Hindi film director and producer Vipul Shah attended the event as the chief guest. The participants emphasised that census data indicated a decline in the proportion of the Hindu population. They argued that there was a need for deeper examination of long-term demographic change in the context of undocumented immigration.