The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has come down heavily on the JNU administration for seeking police action against students over slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling the move a serious attack on democratic rights and an attempt to tarnish the university’s image.
In a strongly worded statement, the teachers’ body said the administration, through its Chief Security Officer, had taken what it described as a “dangerous and absurd” step by asking the Delhi Police to register an FIR over slogan-shouting at an event organised by the JNU Students’ Union. The programme was held to mark six years since the January 5, 2020 violence on the JNU campus.
JNUTA pointed out that the same authorities now pushing for criminal action had failed to stop the violence in 2020 and later claimed they were unable to identify or take action against those responsible. The association said the current move mirrors the events of 2016, when administrative actions, aided by selective media coverage, were allegedly used to defame the institution.
Accusing the administration of trying to stifle dissent, the teachers’ body argued that the demand for an FIR has little to do with maintaining law and order and more to do with curbing protest and weakening JNU’s democratic culture. It warned that once again facts were being pushed aside while manufactured controversies were being used to justify restrictions on free expression.
Calling JNU’s tradition of debate and dissent central to its identity as a public university, JNUTA cautioned that criminalising slogans and protests could set a troubling precedent for campuses across the country. It reiterated its opposition to any move that seeks to silence student voices and demanded an immediate withdrawal of steps that, it said, threaten academic freedom and constitutional values.