New Delhi: As the row over alleged casteist remarks made by Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit continues, JNU Students’ Union on Wednesday announced the results of a campus referendum seeking her removal, claiming that 2,181 students had voted in favour of her ouster.
The referendum, however, has been questioned by a section of students and faculty members, who say the union has no statutory authority to conduct a vote seeking the removal of a VC.
The exercise, conducted on March 10 across different schools of the university, saw 2,409 students cast their votes, of whom 207 voted for the continuation of the VC, while 21 ballots were declared invalid, JNUSU said.
The university has around 9,000 students across multiple disciplines.
The union said the exercise was aimed at “democratically ascertaining the opinion of the student community” on whether Dhulipudi Pandit should continue in office in light of her alleged remarks and what it described as administrative irregularities.
The controversy erupted after the VC allegedly remarked that “Dalits and Blacks are drugged with victimhood,” sparking protests on the campus.
The stir intensified over the past weeks, beginning with strikes and later escalating into lockdowns across several schools of the university. During a march to the ministry of education, police detained more than 50 JNU students and arrested 14 union members, who spent three days in custody before being released on bail.
The issue has also led to multiple complaints and representations to authorities. Former JNUSU president Dhananjay has written to National Commission for Scheduled Castes, seeking action over the alleged remarks, while teachers’ body JNUTA has approached the ministry of education over the matter.
In a counter move, another group of faculty members has written to the President of India, alleging the VC is being targeted. Those opposing the campus referendum argued that under the Central Universities Act, a VC is appointed by the President of India and “no student referendum has the power to remove or officially recommend his or her removal”. There was no response from the JNU VC on this development.
