New Delhi: Amid an ongoing hunger strike by Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) demanding the reinstatement of the JNU entrance examination (JNUEE), vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit has written to the protesting students, stating that none of the university’s deans was in favour of conducting the in-house test. In the email sent on June 27 and released by the administration on Saturday, Pandit said she had asked all deans a year ago to take responsibility for conducting JNUEE, but no one committed in writing. “None of the deans gave any commitment in writing and many deans opted for NET and CUET,” she wrote, adding, “As a very democratic head of the institute, I have to abide by the decision taken by the deans and the chairpersons.“The VC was responding to an open letter written by the Left-backed JNUSU office-bearers on June 26—the day the students launched the indefinite hunger strike on the campus, protesting the administration’s alleged unresponsiveness to several long-standing demands. They accused the administration of going back on its promise made during a 17-day hunger strike last Aug, when, they claimed, the VC had assured that JNUEE would be restored for PhD admissions from the 2025-26 session.Pandit denied the charge of apathy and said she had met all four union members earlier. She insisted that any future meeting would also require all four members to be present (referring to ABVP-affiliated JNUSU member). “JNUSU is a panel of four members and anyone left out makes it undemocratic,” she said.The VC also defended CUET as a more inclusive mode of admission. “The director of admissions discussed this with facts, figures and data. He proved to you that CUET was more democratic due to its wide reach and making it a more level-playing ground for all students, and the reserved categories have done better.”In their response, the three protesting Left-affiliated office-bearers questioned the administration’s claim that deans had opposed JNUEE. They said many deans and chairpersons had expressed support, and that the VC had wrongly shifted the responsibility of organising the exam onto them. The union has demanded a comprehensive meeting with all relevant university officials, including representatives from JNU Teachers’ Association. They argue that the VC’s insistence on full attendance by all four union members was unreasonable as one of them—who supports the current CUET/NET-based system—has not participated in the ongoing campaign or referendum in favour of JNUEE.The hunger strike, which began on June 26, entered its third day on Saturday, with three central union office-bearers continuing their sit-in at Sabarmati T-point.
