JNU students' union, teachers' association release public inquiry report against VC

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students' Union (JNUSU) and Teachers' Association (JNUTA) on Monday released the report of a public inquiry against the vice chancellor that had been conducted on March 16 and 18.

The report, which delves into details of allegations against the vice chancellor, concluded, "... the Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University , Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, is guilty of all the charges framed by the JNUSU and JNUTA. Based on the evidence presented, it is a fit case for making a formal demand for her removal from the office she occupies."

No immediate response was available from the VC's office. The JNU campus has recently been embroiled in multiple controversies, starting from early February this year, when the four office-bearers of JNUSU and an ex-president of the students' union were rusticated due to "permanent damage to university property" during a previous protest.

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JNUSU demands VC's resignation

This was compounded manifold with the protests that followed, and the alleged casteist remarks made by the JNU VC. Subsequently, the public inquiry was held to discuss the allegations against the VC and deliberate on the JNUSU's demand that the VC should resign.

According to the report produced on Monday, JNUSU and JNUTA had formally requested the VC to join the proceedings "to defend herself against the framed charges". "However, she neither responded nor defended herself in the public inquiry.

This public inquiry against the vice chancellor was planned as a mode of protest modelled on an official inquiry but deriving its legitimacy not from powers vested in any statutory authority but from the collective sentiment of students and teachers of JNU," the report mentioned.