‘Clear victory’: JNUSU removes student-opposed face recognition system from Dr BR Ambedkar library

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has won the battle to remove the anti-student face recognition system from the Dr BR Ambedkar Library. According to the JNUSU students, removal of the new system is the result of collective efforts and opposition to every attempt to undermine students’ rights and freedoms.

The intervention of students became necessary because the chief librarian, Manorama Tripathi, continued her tactics with complete disregard for the students. Earlier, it was assured that a committee would be formed to set up, and a student would be consulted before any decision is finalised. However, neither a committee was set up nor a discussion was held.

“The assurance was used as a delay tactic while work on the system continued quietly in the background,” the official JNUSU statement said.

The JNU library was already coping with inadequate seating, broken furniture, limited water facilities, and the lack of a proper reading room. “Rather than fixing basic infrastructure, the administration is infringing on student privacy through this system,” the JNUSU general secretary Sunil Yadav said.

JNUSU: New system affected students' rights

JNU students were consistently asked to provide their data for the system, with repeated emails being sent that consent was already granted. The administration behaved as if the system’s implementation was “permanent and unavoidable”.

However, the chief librarian actively advocated for the face recognition setup without once engaging with the student union. She presented it as a routine technological improvement, disregarding how it affects student rights and the democratic character of the campus.

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JNU: Library’s access must remain open

At the centre of this struggle lies the question of access. A university library should remain open to students, researchers, and the broader academic community. Leading institutions around the world welcome visitors beyond their campuses because knowledge is part of a shared intellectual and cultural commons.

A simple entry registration is acceptable as it helps track usage and plan facilities without restricting entry. A face recognition system, however, becomes a barrier.

It determines who is allowed in and who is not. Instead of widening access, it narrows it. Such a system harms those who rely on the library even after graduation and turns a public university into a closed, exclusionary space.

“We call upon the students of JNU to reject every attempt by the administration to turn this campus into a controlled and dictatorial space. The library is not a checkpoint. It is a collective space created and protected by generations of students who fought for equality and access. We will not allow any authority to impose systems that undermine these values,” the official JNUSU statement said.