According to a report, the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has banned the controversial JNU Students’ Union office-bearers from attending any Academic Council meeting. The meeting, which is scheduled to be held on July 13 will be held without a representative from any students’ union.
Reportedly, the decision to bar the office bearers of the students’ union was taken as a result of a pending inquiry to be conducted against the union for creating disruptions and chaos in the meetings held in the past.
The letter has been addressed to the JNUSU president Geeta Kumari and it says, “I am directed to inform you that the representatives of the Students’ Union have not been invited to the forthcoming meeting of the Academic Council, to be held on July 13, as special invitees due to a pending proctorial inquiry against them for creating disruptions by marching up to the dais and using abusive language against the Vice-Chancellor.”
Interestingly, in the last meeting held on May, 33 members from both students’ and teachers’ union stated that they were not allowed to express their views. The JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTU) had alleged that the meeting was “conducted by means of open suppression of dissent”.
However, Geeta Kumari has denied receiving any letter from the administration regarding the pending inquiry against the office bearers of the students’ union. The JNUSU claims that the inquiry is baseless and termed the action to keep them out of the academic council meeting as ‘blatant disregard for conducting the affairs of the university’.
It seems that students from the JNUSU have a tradition of raising strong objections and being remarkably intolerant to the ideas they do not endorse. Earlier, the JNUSU has strongly objected to the Academic Council of the University passing a proposal which looks to set up a centre for National Security that would include a course on ‘Islamic Terrorism’.
Recently, Some office bearers of the leftist students’ union (JNUSU) have been held guilty of contempt of court by the Delhi High Court.