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Hon'ble President of India: Present the Visitor's Award to a delegation of JNU community, not to JNU VC
Mohit P.
started this petition to
Hon'ble President of India
We, the undersigned, are elated as Jawaharlal Nehru University has been selected as the best central university in India for the ‘Visitor’s Award’ for 2017. But at the same time we are also extremely disturbed by the fact that the award will be formally handed over to the current Vice‐Chancellor of JNU, Professor M Jagadesh Kumar on 6th March, 2017. We strongly believe that Prof. Kumar doesn’t deserve to receive the award on behalf of the entire JNU community.
Jawaharlal Nehru University is not only known for its academic excellence, but it is also one of the last few universities in the country which provide a hope for students from remote areas and marginalized backgrounds to pursue affordable and quality higher education and research. Over the years,
the student community has struggled to ensure that JNU’s admission policy be guided by ideas of social inclusion and affordable education. The diverse demography of JNU’s student community is a testimony to this effort of making JNU a truly democratic space. Alongside, JNU community has always striven for academic excellence which is informed by the spirit of adventure of ideas, of commitment to speak truth to power, for critical thinking and egalitarian ethos.
For past one year, JNU has witnessed unprecedented attacks and crackdowns on all these values, ever since Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar took over as Vice‐Chancellor of JNU. Within 13 days of his joining, the campus witnessed an unprecedented crisis with Delhi Police being given a free hand to raid the campus and arrest student activists. The VC did not even demand to see the evidence or any warrant before allowing such action. Threatening and intimidating methods were used against students and teachers alike. The security guards were instructed to record JNU's iconic post‐dinner public meetings or any other cultural programs and even academic activities. Flouting every established norm, there were moves to change the seniority criterion of appointing Chairpersons to the centers. Agreement with the VC's 'vision', rather than seniority was established as the criterion to appoint the Chairpersons. The highest number of notices ever served to student activists was in the past one year, including former and current Union office bearers at each instance of protest. A fellow student Najeeb went missing after being assaulted by students and outsiders belonging to the ABVP and in a brazen show of political partisanship the VC stood in protection of his assailants, leading to an atmosphere of impunity and further assaults. No one has forgotten how the VC, while omitting the fact of the assault on Najeeb, called him an 'accused'‐ a term he had to withdraw later on.
The partisan role of the VC has reached such a level that as many as two Chief Proctors have resigned within one year, on moral grounds. And currently, we are faced with the most dangerous move by the VC to unilaterally impose a 5th May, 2016 UGC notification, which will result in massive seat cut, scuttling of social justice in MPhil/PhD admissions in JNU and indeed a virtual dismantling of JNU's entire research program. And in all these, the VC has been undermining the due processes and the statutory decision making bodies.
Generations of students and faculty members have striven to make JNU what it is known for today. One year into the office, the current VC has proved that he is in no way interested in upholding JNU's legacy of excellence and inclusion; on the contrary, he has expressed deep contempt for and has actively worked to undo all those cherished features which this university stands for and is known for today. We believe that Prof M Jagadesh Kumar doesn’t and can’t represent the egalitarian vision of JNU and, therefore, is not suited to receive the 'Visitor's Best University award' which is a testimony to the collective vision and efforts of the JNU community.
We request you, the President of India, and the Visitor of the University, to nominate a joint delegation consisting of students, teachers, staff and workers of JNU to receive the award jointly on behalf of the JNU community.
Jawaharlal Nehru University is not only known for its academic excellence, but it is also one of the last few universities in the country which provide a hope for students from remote areas and marginalized backgrounds to pursue affordable and quality higher education and research. Over the years,
the student community has struggled to ensure that JNU’s admission policy be guided by ideas of social inclusion and affordable education. The diverse demography of JNU’s student community is a testimony to this effort of making JNU a truly democratic space. Alongside, JNU community has always striven for academic excellence which is informed by the spirit of adventure of ideas, of commitment to speak truth to power, for critical thinking and egalitarian ethos.
For past one year, JNU has witnessed unprecedented attacks and crackdowns on all these values, ever since Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar took over as Vice‐Chancellor of JNU. Within 13 days of his joining, the campus witnessed an unprecedented crisis with Delhi Police being given a free hand to raid the campus and arrest student activists. The VC did not even demand to see the evidence or any warrant before allowing such action. Threatening and intimidating methods were used against students and teachers alike. The security guards were instructed to record JNU's iconic post‐dinner public meetings or any other cultural programs and even academic activities. Flouting every established norm, there were moves to change the seniority criterion of appointing Chairpersons to the centers. Agreement with the VC's 'vision', rather than seniority was established as the criterion to appoint the Chairpersons. The highest number of notices ever served to student activists was in the past one year, including former and current Union office bearers at each instance of protest. A fellow student Najeeb went missing after being assaulted by students and outsiders belonging to the ABVP and in a brazen show of political partisanship the VC stood in protection of his assailants, leading to an atmosphere of impunity and further assaults. No one has forgotten how the VC, while omitting the fact of the assault on Najeeb, called him an 'accused'‐ a term he had to withdraw later on.
The partisan role of the VC has reached such a level that as many as two Chief Proctors have resigned within one year, on moral grounds. And currently, we are faced with the most dangerous move by the VC to unilaterally impose a 5th May, 2016 UGC notification, which will result in massive seat cut, scuttling of social justice in MPhil/PhD admissions in JNU and indeed a virtual dismantling of JNU's entire research program. And in all these, the VC has been undermining the due processes and the statutory decision making bodies.
Generations of students and faculty members have striven to make JNU what it is known for today. One year into the office, the current VC has proved that he is in no way interested in upholding JNU's legacy of excellence and inclusion; on the contrary, he has expressed deep contempt for and has actively worked to undo all those cherished features which this university stands for and is known for today. We believe that Prof M Jagadesh Kumar doesn’t and can’t represent the egalitarian vision of JNU and, therefore, is not suited to receive the 'Visitor's Best University award' which is a testimony to the collective vision and efforts of the JNU community.
We request you, the President of India, and the Visitor of the University, to nominate a joint delegation consisting of students, teachers, staff and workers of JNU to receive the award jointly on behalf of the JNU community.
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