Students' six reasons to remove JNU Vice Chancellor

JNU VC Prof. Jagadesh Kumar alleged non-willingness to interact with students and teachers in the campus is plaguing the university since he was given the role to lead the prestigious institution.  


Siddheshwar  ShuklaSiddheshwar Shukla | Updated: 10-01-2020 17:50 IST | Created: 10-01-2020 17:50 IST
Students' six reasons to remove JNU Vice Chancellor
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar. Image Credit: ANI
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Though the alleged connivance of JNU Vice Chancellor Prof. Jagadesh Kumar on Sunday violence in the campus is immediate reason behind growing demand of his removal, the students’ union (JNUSU) has given a list of at least six reasons to remove the Vice Chancellor. The protesting students have reiterated that the peace and normalcy in the campus is not possible without the removal of the Vice Chancellor. Here is a list of grounds for removal of the Vice Chancellor, the students’ union (@JNUSUofficial) provided in a series of tweets on Saturday.

Prof. Kumar has been a student of IIT Madras and Professor in IIT Delhi but he hardly had any experience of following a democratic process of decision making which requires dialogue with various stakeholders. This is probably the reason behind his being one of the most controversial VCs of the university dominated by social science disciplines.

Insecurity @ Black Sunday 

Security of students in the campus is the most immediate reason and a strong ground for removal of the Vice Chancellor. After masked goons managed to enter in Sabarmati hostel on January 5 with iron rods and sticks, the students lost the confidence in the security system of the university. As per the hostel norms, any visitor is not allowed to enter in the hostel without the verification of the concerned inhabitant through landline intercom at the reception by a security guard. Besides, each hostel in JNU has a visiting room to facilitate interaction between the visitor and the host. The guards are permanently deployed at the hostels. How such a full proof security system was breached upon?

The sense of insecurity was so dominating in the campus that after the 'black sunday', the students started leaving the campus for safe place. Besides, several students received desperate calls from parents and relatives to leave the campus for some time. The Vice Chancellor who first came out in public on Tuesday requested the students to come back in the campus but the fear of insecurity still looms large among students.

“JNU security expenditure jumped 82 percent in just one year, but the number of security guards deployed on campus has seen a drastic cut. Just one example from the plethora of mismanagement by this VC and his anti-student policies. He must go,” said @JNUSUofficial in a tweet. The teachers’ union (JNUTA) has also blamed the Vice Chancellor’s connivance, administrative apathy and police’s deliberate inaction for violence on Sunday. According to media reports the 'Visitors’ Register' of the hostel in also missing. The university has deployed retired army personnel in the security who are handsomely paid but could not ensure security in the campus. “The new beginning can start once he is held accountable for his hand in Black Sunday. That new beginning can start with his resignation,” demanded JNUSU on VCs call for leaving the past behind and start a new beginning.

Fee Hike and Commercialization of Education

Since October 28 last year, the students are protesting against the hostel fee. They have been demanding complete roll back of the hostel fee hike but the university is following a tactics of downward revision and deferring it implementation to pacify students. In this tussle the fee has been revised for two times. The most recent decision of the JNU administration, in consultation with the ministry, is to defer the utility charges and service charges till the University Grants Commission (UGC) is ready to bear the expenditure. The students have demanded complete roll back of the hike. “All Service and utility charges for the hostel residents will have to be rescinded, not simply kept 'on hold'. Not just for us, but for future generations of JNU students. A new IHA Meeting has to be convened following the democratic procedures as ensured by the statutes of JNU. We are fighting to preserve JNU's inclusive fee structure not just till the end of the academic year, but for future generations of students as well,” argued JNUSU.

The students’ unions have demanded the government to make the education affordable for all the students of JNU. Besides, JNUSU wants the government to roll back commercialization of education.

Reservations in Hostels

Under the leadership of Prof. Jagadesh Kumar, the university administration did away with the policy of reservation in JNU hostels. The new hostel manual is completely silent on reservations for SC/ST/OBC students, a cornerstone of the earlier hostel system's agenda of social justice and equitability, alleged the students’ union.

Late Payment Penalty

Besides increasing the hostel fee, the university administration has also unilaterally decided to impose heavy late payment penalty on students. Justifying the hike in hostel fees and imposition of new fee categories – utility charges and service charges – the university administration argued that most of the students get scholarships. However, the students alleged that the scholarship is often delayed. “There are drastic increases in late charges, despite the University's own history of delayed scholarship payments; these culminate in threats of eviction,” tweeted JNUSU.

Non Democratic Approach

Both – the students’ and teachers’ unions – have alleged non-democratic approach of the Vice Chancellor as a major reason behind several problems in the campus. He is accused of running the university with the help of a closed group of professors and ignoring the others. In addition to allegations on non-democratic approach by his opponents, the VC has also received specific directions from the Ministry of Human Resource (MHRD) to take teachers into confidence and reach out to students.

“The entire process of notifying the Inter Hostel Administration (IHA) manual itself ignored the democratic processes that JNU has relied on since it began - this desecration of JNU's statutes continues, mirroring the desecration of the constitution at the national level,” alleged JNUSU. The university has a protocol to decide rules and regulations including fee of the hostel which according to the JNU constitution should follow a democratic process. Students have alleged that the present administration did not follow the debate and discussion but announced the utility fee, hostel fee and new hostel rules within minutes in a single sitting on October 28, 2019.

Seat Cut 

Since he took up charge in January, 2016, Prof. Kumar implemented massive seat cuts in M.Phil. and PhD programs in JNU. According to a media report in July 2017, admission was stopped in 56 of 67 combined MPhil/PhD programs and 37 of 50 PhD programs of various schools and centers. Besides, about 300 vacancies of teaching faculty were abolished. “From seat cut to curtailing of reservation via deprivation points to fee hike, JNU's issues have occurred because of the VC's attitude, his refusal to engage with students & teachers, his resolution to brazenly destroy JNU and its ethos,” alleged JNUSU. 

However, in a media statement immediatly after meting with MHRD officials on Saturday, the VC said the situations are norml in the university. He also unilateraly announced to start the classes from January 13, 2020. 

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are the personal views of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)

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