To
The Vice Chancellor,
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi.
Sir,
This is in response to the decision of the Proctor’s office to commute the rustication of the 8 students to fines and retain the fines imposed upon the President and Joint Secretary of the JNUSU.
The JNUSU considers this as a violation of the agreement signed between the JNU administration and the JNUSU on 12th July, on the basis of which the students’ agitation was called off. According to the agreement the students who were rusticated were to be allowed registration by 14th August on the basis of appeals expressing regret over the 19th February incident. While the students concerned had submitted their appeals, their registration has been made conditional upon their paying fines. There was no mention of fines or any other such condition in the agreement. Such a decision by the administration, coming after the students concerned had submitted their appeals reflect a vindictive attitude towards students. This also amounts to a breach of trust. We do not recollect any instance in the recent history of JNU where the JNU administration has gone back on a commitment made in a written agreement. This would do enormous damage to the credibility of the JNU administration and vitiate the relations between the administration and the student community.
It is also shocking that the Proctor’s office has retained the fines imposed on the President and Joint Secretary of the JNUSU. The Chief Proctor has also made statements in the press justifying the fines on the basis that the JNUSU office-bearers have not submitted appeals expressing regret. You would recall that in the course of the dialogue with the administration during the agitation, the Joint Secretary and President of the JNUSU had categorically refused to submit any such appeal. Therefore this never found any mention in the agreement. To insist upon this, after an agreement has been reached is not only unethical on the part of the administration, but also reflects a mindset which seeks to browbeat the JNUSU office-bearers with whom the administration has signed an agreement. This is nothing but victimization of the JNUSU office-bearers for having fought for the rights of the students.
Besides, the charge leveled against the JNUSU office-bearers of “not being able to control the situation” during the 19th February incident is dubious, to say the least, since the administration itself can be held guilty on the same basis. The JNUSU Council as well as the UGBM, which is the highest decision making body of the student community, have already expressed regret over the 19th February incident which has been earlier communicated to you by the JNUSU office-bearers. The President and Joint Secretary of the JNUSU cannot and would not submit any individual appeal since there is no such mandate from the student community.
In the backdrop of the agreement reached with the administration on 12th July, the JNUSU was looking forward to a good beginning to the monsoon semester, particularly when hundreds of new students have joined the university. The departure of the administration from that agreement has deeply pained us and is threatening to vitiate the campus atmosphere. Therefore, we call upon you as the head of the institution to immediately intervene in the matter to resolve the issue by reversing the recent Proctorial decision. You would appreciate that the JNUSU would be left with no other option but to launch another agitation in case the unjust decision is pursued.
Regards,
Sd/- Dhananjay, President, JNUSU.
