What is, in effect happening in the JNU? What is the situation being perpetuated by the administration?
The students’ demand for a meeting with VC to answer their queries on their future and meet their demand for a re-convening of the 142nd Academic Council Meeting in order to take decisions democratically on the admission policy, has been denied. The protests of students have been thoroughly criminalized by JNU administration. The VC says, ‘students are involved in unlawful activities’.
What are these ‘unlawful’ activities? That, the students are demanding a meeting with VC? That, the students are demanding that he follow established procedures? That, the students are merely asking for the 142nd AC meet to be reconvened? Or that, the students are thoroughly opposed to the UGC Gazette which will bring in a big closure to the JNU’s time-tested admission policy?
On February 13, when students were waiting at the Administrative Block on the 5th day of their continuous sit-in, the VC chose to send some officials (in the presence of sections of the media, that got him footage) to ask why students are raising their demands and not behaving like 'obedient, disciplined students' even though their future is in a great mess. He proceeded to organize a meeting with the Staff and Officers to convince them of the fact that students’ activities are ‘unlawful’ instead of coming to the students to address their demands and grievances. Further, Prof. Jagadesh Kumar called upon the media to portray the 'innocence' of the JNU administration which he says is the real ‘victim’ of a ‘handful’ students’ and their ‘unruly’ protests.
Like numerous times in the past one year, the JNU VC, showing his extreme irresponsibility and administrative highhandedness, went on declaring afresh that the students who are enrolled in M.Phil will only be allotted supervisors if there is a vacancy. Interestingly, today, the VC called another press conference where he announced that the UGC Gazette will not be applied retrospectively. Was he directed by his political masters to backtrack from his own recent statements to the contrary?
Contradiction in statements and continuously spreading of misinformation are not uncommon to this administration. However, an administration coming down to the level of blatantly lying to the public in order to succeed in their agenda to completely destroy a university is something unprecedented and needs to be countered at its roots.
Hence, we will keep asking where are the decisions regarding admission policy actually being taken? How many seats is the JNU going to offer? Will the JNU deny admission to the students who will qualify in the entrance, just because of a mindless UGC Gazette Notification that has put a cap on the number of students a faculty member can have? For whom will the JNU open it’s upcoming prospectus? What will happen to the students who are yet to get supervisors? What will happen to the MA students? Where will the students go? How long will the JNU administration keep the JNU community in dark?
(The writer is General Secretary of the JNU Student's Union)
