Members of Parliament seek inquiry against JNU Vice-Chancellor and his suspension: Read the memorandum

As many as 45 Members of Parliament have signed and submitted two memorandums to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, seeking his intervention to put JNU back on the rails. Endorsing a litany of allegations against the Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, the MPs have pointed out that as many as 70 litigations seem to be pending before the Delhi High Court pertaining to the central university, with 60 of them challenging various acts of omission and commission by the VC.

According to a press statement by JNUSU General Secretary the members of Parliament have demanded the removal of the JNU VC stating that the policies he has implemented have been ‘severely detrimental to JNU’.

Some of the issues highlighted in the memorandums ( copies attached below) are:

1. The violation of the mandated Reservation system that prevents inclusivity that makes JNU unique. The VC is being held responsible for violating the High Courts orders by not taking any initiatives to fill seats and intentionally failing to acknowledge the changes in the admission process. The VC has also been instrumental in reducing the number of seats by 83% for MPhil and PhD admissions.

2. Destroying the scope for Teachers and Research by cutting the budget for student related activities like seminars. There has also been a significant shift in education and has moved towards privatisation and market-based education rather than socially relevant education.

3. Violation of the JNU Act, Statutes and Ordinances to suit the administrations needs and autocratic governance. The bypassing of democratic decision-making bodies such as the Academic Council and the Board of Studies, to bring about crucial policy changes that will have impact of the academic and social environment of the university such as Online Entrance Examination and others, is continuously being done under the current administration.

4. The VC also transferred the powers to designate individuals in the selection to suit his own agendas. He has also practiced Caste discrimination against SC, ST, and OBC faculty members by denying some faculty members their rightful promotions without any basis.

5. The VC has also been accused of harassing and victimising Teachers and denying them their rightful dues.

6. The VC has also displayed a callous disregard for the student’s safety and welfare and it reflected in the handling of matters regarding the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed and attacks on JNUSU members after the elections took place.

The memorandum was submitted at a time when the JNU Students Union has gone on a two-day strike in solidarity with the General Trade Union Strike taking place across India. They have launched an agitation against the JNU administration which begins with the two-day strike.