JNU probe panel criticises dean of students for lapses

The five-member high-level JNU committee, headed by Prof. Rakesh Bhatnagar, has criticised the varsity’s dean of the students for not being vigilant enough to anticipate and prevent the controversial February 9 event on the campus. The committee has also criticised the varsity security for not making any effort to stop the outsiders from shouting provocative slogans and preventing them from leaving the campus.

In a separate two-page report on the “Identification of Lapses” related to the controversial event, the committee said the booking form for the event was never submitted to the approving authorities by the students concerned — Syed Umar Khalid, Anirbhan Bhattacharya, Komal Mohite and Ashwati Nair. “Since the process of seeking approval was never completed, the booking form did not reach the CSO (chief security officer). Therefore, the CSO did not know about the event,” the panel said in the report on the lapses.

The report said the undertaking form attached to the booking form did not have the full names and stamps of the four signing authorities — the faculty, the chairperson, the dean of the school and DOS/ ADOS (dean of the students/ associate dean of students). It said one student, Komal Mohite, had even misrepresented her hostel address in the undertaking. It said other students had not written their full names in the form.

The report said the centre chairperson had neither written her full name nor put seal on the booking form. “On the booking form, ADOS-I (associate dean of students-I) had not written her full name and put the seal on the form. In the dean of the students’ office, no record was kept of this booking form (photo copy and record in the register) and hence on February 9, no information was immediately available with the dean of the students’ office.”

Knowing the sensitivity of the event, which was held last year as well, the committee said it had come to light that the dean of the students was not present on campus during the controversial event, although he was in touch over the phone with the chief security officer. The report said since the process of taking permission was not completed, there was confusion at the level of the dean of the students on whether the permission had been granted or not.

The committee said that the dean of the students should have withdrawn the permission, if any, in writing and not by sending only an SMS to the chief security officer. It said: “It has to be noted that since the event took place last year as well, the security was not alert and vigilant to spot these posters for this event, till after the chief security officer met the authorities.”