The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association on Wednesday said it will organise a padyatra (walk) to Parliament on Friday. The teachers are protesting against the removal of several department heads and a coordinator for not complying with the institute’s new attendance rules, and several of them are on a hunger strike. The association said the university’s administration has not reached out to the faculty members who have been on the hunger strike for the past three days.
The teachers’ association has urged other institutes to join their protest on Friday. It has also demanded that the management withdraw its notification removing the department heads and other circulars issued without consulting relevant university authorities.
The JNUTA asked the administration to “take all steps to ensure social justice, gender justice and natural justice” in the university, claiming that the management had violated various provisions of the Indian Constitution and the JNU Act with its recent decisions.
The association also criticised the JNU administration for what it called “selective inaction” by the university against a professor accused of sexual harassment.
The JNUTA also condemned the University Grants Commission’s decision to grant the university full autonomy, claiming that the decision was made to promote privatisation that will adversely affect the marginalised sections of society.
JNU registrar calls for end to students’ protests
Meanwhile, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said on Twitter that students agitating against the compulsory attendance rule had blocked the entrance to several programme centres on campus. He claimed this was causing problems as JNU was in the process of holding entrance examinations.
Kumar said the order making 75% attendance compulsory was in line with the rules of the University Grants Commission. He added that the teachers’ association and the JNU Students’ Union had called for a complete shutdown in the university, blaming them for the “chaos” on campus.
Calling the student agitation a gross violation of the rules and norms of the university as well as the orders of the Delhi High Court, Kumar said the JNU administration was ready to resolve any “genuine difficulties”. He also appealed to the students to refrain from activities that have “already harmed the interests of the JNU community”.
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