Jawaharlal Nehru University’s ongoing protest against the arrest of students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar has not only divided political parties, but also caused a rift among some 700 JNU faculty members.
One group of teachers, led by the JNU Teachers’ Association president, is siding with the students opposing the arrest of the students’ union president, and the other group is advocating that the faculty wait for law to take its course and has threatened that if their voices are not heard in JNUTA, they will form another teachers’ union.
A section of JNUTA-affiliated teachers joined the JNU students in boycotting classes in protest against arrest of Mr Kumar and said they would take classes on nationalism in the university lawns. However, the other section of the teachers condemned the disruption of academic functioning in the university.
JNU faculty member Rohith Azad, who was among those attacked in Patiala House court on Monday, said, “The administration is not only acting against the students, but also the teachers and we are being openly attacked while the vice-chancellor stays mum over it. The entire world is now referring to JNU as a hub of anti-nationals on basis of propaganda of a few people in power. It is time we teach our students what nationalism is.”
The anti-strike group, claiming support of majority of the varsity teachers, said that the JNUTA strike to join ongoing student protest does not have the support of the whole teaching community of JNU. “Only handful of people in JNUTA are taking decision on behalf of the entire teaching community. They are claiming that all the teachers have boycotted classes by joining ongoing students’ agitation, which is not true. We never boycotted our classes, instead they stopped teachers from taking classes,” said chairperson of JNU’s Centre for Law and Governance, Prof. Amita Singh.
She clarified that perception is being created that all the teachers are in support of the student agitation, which is wrong. “We do not advocate any such activity before the police or the university inquiry is over. Teachers’ job is to teach,” added Prof. Singh.
Prof. Ram Nath Jha of JNU’s Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies said that law should take own course and the teachers should take their classes. “Investigating agency is doing inquiry and if the allegation found true then culprit should be punished. But as teachers, we should continue doing our duty by teaching students,” added Prof. Jha.
