New Delhi: Accusing the Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor of “suppressing dissent” at the 145th Academic Council that was held on Friday, the varsity’s teachers’ association (JNUTA) said the administration was resorting to a “brazen violation” of assurances it has given to the Delhi high court, that a full discussion over the attendance issue would take place in the meeting.
JNUTA president Sonajharia Minz claimed that the minutes of 144th AC meeting, which have been objected to orally and in writing by several members of the Academic Council and have also been challenged in the Delhi high court, were declared confirmed without any discussion.
No member, including the deans and chairs reinstated by the Delhi high court, were allowed to speak at all, she added.
Vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar, registrar Pramod Kumar and rector 1 Chintamani Mahapatra did not respond to calls from PTI.
“It is alarming that the highest academic body of the university, in which due deliberation must be accorded to all academic matters, was conducted by means of open suppression of dissent. The JNUTA is appalled at the brazen violation of the assurances given to the court by JNU that a full discussion of the attendance issue would take place in the Academic Council,” Minz said.
JNU students’ union (JNUSU) president Geeta Kumari, who also took part in the meeting, said, “In a continuation of total decimation of JNU’s time-tested process of deliberation and dialogue, the JNU VC today conducted the 145th AC meeting in a brazenly undemocratic manner.”
She said the majority of AC members, including the JNUSU office-bearers, were not allowed to even speak once.
“In one stroke all agenda items were passed in a absurd clap of hands of those loyal to the VC,” she added.
Among the various agenda items was the illegal confirmation of falsified minutes of the last (144th) AC meeting which introduced attendance.
Questions of reservations and Atul Johri, a professor who multiple students have accused of sexual harassment, were sidelined, she claimed.
Thirty-three members of AC have written to the registrar, saying that they were “shocked” at the way the meeting was conducted.
This is far from the first time faculty members and students have expressed disagreement with the way Kumar is running the university and making decisions.
A course on ‘Islamic terrorism’
Meanwhile, the AC “passed” a proposal to set up a Centre for National Security Studies, under which there would be a course on ‘Islamic terrorism’, a professor who attended its meeting said.
Many members of the AC opposed the proposal for a course on ‘Islamic terrorism’, arguing that it was communal in nature, Sudhir K. Suthar, a special invitee to the 145th meeting of the AC, said.
“Many members opposed the topic ‘Islamic terrorism’ so as to not club any religion with terrorism, and suggested to call the phenomenon ‘religious terrorism’,” Suthar, who is a JNUTA office-bearer, told PTI.
“There was a debate on the issue in the meeting, with many members supporting it too, saying that it was a globally accepted phenomenon and majority of the cases (of terrorism) were associated with the religion,” another AC member, who was present in the meeting, said.
“The chair passed the proposal and said the objections would be considered (later),” Suthar said.
The draft of the proposal was prepared by a four-member committee headed by Ajay Kumar Dubey, a professor in the Centre for African Studies.
According to the proposal, in the first five years, the centre will only focus on research activities.
“The centre may have only M.Phil and Ph.D students (initially). After five years, the centre may start MA programme. In the first year, two professors, two associate professors and four assistant professors may be recruited to give the centre a good and visible shape,” the proposal said.
Dubey told PTI, “Report was circulated for feedback and discussion. All suggestions including objections will be considered by the committee (later).”
Opposing the move, JNUSU president Geeta Kumari said, “In a deeply problematic and shocking move the JNU VC also allowed the tabling of a course/topic on ‘Islamic Terrorism’ under the Centre for National Security Studies.”
“This grotesque propaganda of Islamophobia in the name of academic courses is deeply problematic. It seems the RSS-BJP’s election propaganda material will be prepared through these courses rather than studying the nature of terrorism in general,” she added.
(With PTI inputs)