JNU sexual harassment case: VC asks students to shift protest from campus main gate

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice-chancellor Santishree D. Pandit on Tuesday met students on an indefinite strike at the campus' main gate against the university administration's alleged inaction in a sexual harassment complaint and asked them to shift their protest, saying it was causing inconvenience to people.

A female student has alleged that she was sexually harassed on the night of 31 March on the campus by four people, including two former students. The university administration has ordered an inquiry into the incident. The complainant, however, has claimed that the "perpetrators" of the crime were roaming around freely.

The protest at the university's north gate entered its ninth day on Tuesday.

Pandit met the students and asked them to shift from the main entrance to the Sabarmati Lawns. "I met the students today to appeal to them that they should shift their protest from the entrance gate to Sabarmati Lawns which is the designated area to hold protests on campus.

"The obstruction is causing inconvenience to students and staffers as buses are not able to enter the campus. I have assured them that action will be taken in the case as per rules once they have cleared the site," Pandit told PTI.

The vice-chancellor met the complainant along with other students after they tried to meet her on Monday to seek action on the matter. Earlier in the day, the protesting students released a video of the vice-chancellor talking to them at the protest site and alleged that they were "threatened" to clear the site.

In a statement, the protesting students said, "We are deeply troubled by the recent actions of the vice-chancellor of JNU. Instead of addressing the issue of sexual harassment with empathy, she has resorted to threats and rude behaviour towards the victim. It's appalling that she would choose to attack the victim's career and those in solidarity, rather than offering support and seeking justice."

In the purported video, a woman who resembles Pandit can be heard saying, "I will give you a day's time to resolve this, okay? I hope you realise who I am. If you don't realise it when you get up you will realise. You are all good children I don't want your future to be ruined. You can sit at Sabarmati Lawns. The moment you open this gate your issue will be resolved, this is my promise to you."