<p>A police complaint has been filed against students of Jawaharlal Nehru University by the dean of students (DoS) Umesh Kadam for allegedly &#39;verbally abusing&#39; and &#39;manhandling&#39; him.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: JNU students barge into their Dean&#39;s office during a protest on 12 March. The university has released a statement saying that the Dean was manhandled &amp; abused by the agitating students, (Source: CCTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/HjZzDuT2ko">pic.twitter.com/HjZzDuT2ko</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/973757929294913536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>According to the statement released by the university, JNU student union had called for a protest on March 12 against the increase in hostel charges which they claimed was done without any consultation.</p>

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<p>No FIR has been registered as of now. (ANI)</p>
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<p>The students were invited by the dean for a discussion during which, official statements say that 15 students barged into dean&#39;s office and &#39;&#39;became very violent&#39;&#39;.</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;They continuously shouted slogans, latched the door and blocked with a sofa. When the DoS tried to go out of the office for lunch, they pushed, hurled abusive language and manhandled him,&#39;&#39; the statement reads.</p>

<p>The dean of students was managed to bring out of his office and security guards &#39;&#39;took him to the JNU health center for a medical checkup&#39;&#39;.</p>

<p>Following the incident university&#39;s security unit has lodged a complaint to take further actions as per University&#39;s&nbsp;rules and regulations.</p>

<p>However, only police complaint has been filed no&nbsp;FIR has officially been registered as of now.</p>

<p>Media has reported student union of JNU Geeta Kumari alleging that Kadam and security guards misbehaved with some women.</p>


The students were invited by the dean for a discussion during which, official statements say that 15 students barged into dean's office and 'became very violent'

A police complaint has been filed against students of Jawaharlal Nehru University by the dean of students (DoS) Umesh Kadam for allegedly 'verbally abusing' and 'manhandling' him. #WATCH: JNU students barge into their Dean's office during a protest on 12 March. The university has released a statement saying that the Dean was manhandled & abused by the agitating students, (Source: CCTV) #Delhi pic.twitter.com/HjZzDuT2ko — ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018 × According to the statement released by the university, JNU student union had called for a protest on March 12 against the increase in hostel charges which they claimed was done without any consultation. No FIR has been registered as of now. (ANI) × The students were invited by the dean for a discussion during which, official statements say that 15 students barged into dean's office and ''became very violent''. ''They continuously shouted slogans, latched the door and blocked with a sofa. When the DoS tried to go out of the office for lunch, they pushed, hurled abusive language and manhandled him,'' the statement reads. The dean of students was managed to bring out of his office and security guards ''took him to the JNU health center for a medical checkup''. Following the incident university's security unit has lodged a complaint to take further actions as per University's rules and regulations. However, only police complaint has been filed no FIR has officially been registered as of now. Media has reported student union of JNU Geeta Kumari alleging that Kadam and security guards misbehaved with some women.

Police complaint filed against JNU students for 'manhandling' and 'verbally abusing' dean of students

<p>To instil&nbsp;&quot;patriotism&quot;&nbsp;in them, India Army veterans addressed JNU students on the eve of Republic Day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Major General (retired) GD Bakhi -- well known from his appearances on television -- was among the speakers. He spoke to the JNU students about India&#39;s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war which led to the creation of Bangladesh.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And perhaps unknowingly he also seemed to call on Indians to come together in all their diversity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Despite our problems in gelling with each other, 1971 saw us in our best. We synergised, political department, armed forces, home and defence ministry, intelligence agencies came together and in 13 days we broke Pakistan into two,&quot; PTI reported Bakshi as saying.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bakshi however added, PTI said, that war&nbsp;was the last resort.</p>

<p>The other speakers, PTI reported, included Param Vir Chakra -- the second-highest gallantry award the army gives out -- awardees.</p>

<p>JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar was also present.</p>

<p>Kumar had recently had a tank installed on campus. The tank was a gift from the army, which Kumar said would help instil in his students &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jnu-vc-wants-tank-installed-on-campus-to-instill-love-for-the-army-among-students-18217" target="_blank">a love for the&nbsp;army</a>&quot;.&nbsp;</p>


Major General (retired) GD Bakhi -- well known from his appearances on television -- was among the speakers

To instil "patriotism" in them, India Army veterans addressed JNU students on the eve of Republic Day. Major General (retired) GD Bakhi -- well known from his appearances on television -- was among the speakers. He spoke to the JNU students about India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war which led to the creation of Bangladesh. And perhaps unknowingly he also seemed to call on Indians to come together in all their diversity. "Despite our problems in gelling with each other, 1971 saw us in our best. We synergised, political department, armed forces, home and defence ministry, intelligence agencies came together and in 13 days we broke Pakistan into two," PTI reported Bakshi as saying. Bakshi however added, PTI said, that war was the last resort. The other speakers, PTI reported, included Param Vir Chakra -- the second-highest gallantry award the army gives out -- awardees. JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar was also present. Kumar had recently had a tank installed on campus. The tank was a gift from the army, which Kumar said would help instil in his students "a love for the army".

To instil 'patriotism' in them, Army veterans address JNU students

<p>Men rush in and out of two small rooms in a double-storeyed hotel off the Palanpur-Mehsana highway. The floor is littered with campaign material -- festoons, banners, posters - all bearing Jignesh Mevani&#39;s bearded and smiling face, eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses.</p>

<p>The Dalit lawyer-activist, along with Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore, has emerged as the face of resistance against the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat for the last 20 years.</p>

<p>Late last month, he announced he was standing for election as an independent candidate from the Vadgam constituency of north Gujarat&#39;s Sabarkatha district, prompting the Congress to swiftly withdraw its candidate from the seat, a traditional stronghold of the party.</p>

<p>The highway-side dhaba-cum-hotel is Mevani&#39;s election headquarters where an assortment of young activists from in and around Gujarat and from faraway Jawaharlal Nehru University brainstorm to make the 35-year-old&#39;s maiden foray into electoral politics a success.</p>

<p>With around 1 lakh Muslims and Dalit voters in the 2.5 lakh-strong constituency, Mevani, who emerged as a Dalit spearhead after organising movements against atrocities against the community in Una, was largely expected to sail through.</p>

<p>But with a combination of local issues, Mevani&#39;s prospects suddenly appear a little bleak, says a local Congress supporter.</p>

<p>Three factors have been working against him. For one, Mevani is being seen as an outsider, since he is from Mehsana and his movement was largely based out of Saurashtra. A rebel Congress candidate is also in the fray. And there is a possible consolidation of Hindu votes cutting across castes.</p>

<p>&quot;Had the Congress fielded its own candidate, a victory was certain. But this time, there will be a contest,&quot; Abdul Haq, the supporter, says, reflecting the lack of enthusiasm among the Congress&#39;s foot soldiers in the area.</p>

<p>In Vadgam&#39;s Chhapi village, sarpanch Bharatbhai Patel, a Choudhary by caste, asserts, &quot;The Congress&#39;s tactical mistake of not fielding a candidate will cost it the seat.&quot;</p>

<p>He says Muslims, numbering around 70,000, may largely vote for Mevani, but votes of Dalits and other castes such as Thakores, Choudharys and Rajputs will get splintered between Mevani and rebel Congress candidate Ashvinbhai Parmar, son of a prominent local party leader.</p>

<p>&quot;I decided to contest as an independent only after people and party functionaries pitched for my candidature. Even last time I was denied a ticket but did not rebel. I do not want the Congress to lose its traditional seat,&quot; Parmar said.</p>

<p>Congress sitting MLA Manibhai Vaghela had won the seat, reserved for SCs, by a margin of 21,000 votes in the last Assembly polls. It was under Congress&#39;s control in the previous two terms, too, the sarpanch said.</p>

<p>There are strong voices in favour of Mevani as well, especially among the youth.</p>

<p>&quot;There will be no division of votes, at least not among Dalits and Muslims. Jignesh bhai has worked hard for these communities, braving the wrath of the State. People are flocking to his rallies in large numbers,&quot; 29-year-old Bhawesh Kumar, who runs a mobile repairing shop, says.</p>

<p>Mahesh Chauhan, a young Dalit, adds that what attracts him to Mevani is a practice that may push many others away. To be a part of his team, Chauhan has to contribute to Mevani&#39;s campaign funds.</p>

<p>&quot;People used to being showered by money and liquor by the other parties during elections are not used to this, which explains the antipathy towards Jignesh bhai professed by many,&quot; Chauhan says.</p>

<p>But BJP supporters of the area, used to defeats due to the complex caste and religion matrix, are hopeful of a good performance this time.</p>

<p>&quot;The Congress managed to hold on to the seat because of the large presence of Dalits and Muslims. But with the cracks in their camp, a BJP victory cannot be ruled out,&quot; a local grocery shop owner says.</p>

<p>Sarpanch Bharatbhai adds that the Congress did not base its entire campaign on Dalits and Muslims in earlier polls.</p>

<p>&quot;But Jignesh bhai has alienated a large section of Hindus by investing all his energies on Dalits and Muslims. The others are not taking it lightly,&quot; he says.&nbsp;</p>


With around 1 lakh Muslims and Dalit voters in the 2.5 lakh-strong constituency, the Dalit leader was expected to sail through

Men rush in and out of two small rooms in a double-storeyed hotel off the Palanpur-Mehsana highway. The floor is littered with campaign material -- festoons, banners, posters - all bearing Jignesh Mevani's bearded and smiling face, eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses. The Dalit lawyer-activist, along with Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore, has emerged as the face of resistance against the BJP, which has ruled Gujarat for the last 20 years. Late last month, he announced he was standing for election as an independent candidate from the Vadgam constituency of north Gujarat's Sabarkatha district, prompting the Congress to swiftly withdraw its candidate from the seat, a traditional stronghold of the party. The highway-side dhaba-cum-hotel is Mevani's election headquarters where an assortment of young activists from in and around Gujarat and from faraway Jawaharlal Nehru University brainstorm to make the 35-year-old's maiden foray into electoral politics a success. With around 1 lakh Muslims and Dalit voters in the 2.5 lakh-strong constituency, Mevani, who emerged as a Dalit spearhead after organising movements against atrocities against the community in Una, was largely expected to sail through. But with a combination of local issues, Mevani's prospects suddenly appear a little bleak, says a local Congress supporter. Three factors have been working against him. For one, Mevani is being seen as an outsider, since he is from Mehsana and his movement was largely based out of Saurashtra. A rebel Congress candidate is also in the fray. And there is a possible consolidation of Hindu votes cutting across castes. "Had the Congress fielded its own candidate, a victory was certain. But this time, there will be a contest," Abdul Haq, the supporter, says, reflecting the lack of enthusiasm among the Congress's foot soldiers in the area. In Vadgam's Chhapi village, sarpanch Bharatbhai Patel, a Choudhary by caste, asserts, "The Congress's tactical mistake of not fielding a candidate will cost it the seat." He says Muslims, numbering around 70,000, may largely vote for Mevani, but votes of Dalits and other castes such as Thakores, Choudharys and Rajputs will get splintered between Mevani and rebel Congress candidate Ashvinbhai Parmar, son of a prominent local party leader. "I decided to contest as an independent only after people and party functionaries pitched for my candidature. Even last time I was denied a ticket but did not rebel. I do not want the Congress to lose its traditional seat," Parmar said. Congress sitting MLA Manibhai Vaghela had won the seat, reserved for SCs, by a margin of 21,000 votes in the last Assembly polls. It was under Congress's control in the previous two terms, too, the sarpanch said. There are strong voices in favour of Mevani as well, especially among the youth. "There will be no division of votes, at least not among Dalits and Muslims. Jignesh bhai has worked hard for these communities, braving the wrath of the State. People are flocking to his rallies in large numbers," 29-year-old Bhawesh Kumar, who runs a mobile repairing shop, says. Mahesh Chauhan, a young Dalit, adds that what attracts him to Mevani is a practice that may push many others away. To be a part of his team, Chauhan has to contribute to Mevani's campaign funds. "People used to being showered by money and liquor by the other parties during elections are not used to this, which explains the antipathy towards Jignesh bhai professed by many," Chauhan says. But BJP supporters of the area, used to defeats due to the complex caste and religion matrix, are hopeful of a good performance this time. "The Congress managed to hold on to the seat because of the large presence of Dalits and Muslims. But with the cracks in their camp, a BJP victory cannot be ruled out," a local grocery shop owner says. Sarpanch Bharatbhai adds that the Congress did not base its entire campaign on Dalits and Muslims in earlier polls. "But Jignesh bhai has alienated a large section of Hindus by investing all his energies on Dalits and Muslims. The others are not taking it lightly," he says.

Gujarat elections: In Vadgam, going suddenly appears tough for Jignesh Mevani

<p>Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy was expected to interact with students of Delhi&#39;s Jawaharlal Nehru University at the institute&#39;s Koyna Hostel today. The session on &lsquo;Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya?&rsquo; was slated to begin at 9.30pm on December 6 but was cancelled by university authorities in what is being described as a unanimous decision.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Talk titled &#39; Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya?&#39; to be held in JNU&#39;s Koyna Hostel has been cancelled by University authorities. Subramanian Swamy was to take part in the talk.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938271897090953216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;The competent authority has decided that no talk will take place at Koyna Hostel, JNU ON 6/12/2017. Hence the talk entitled, &quot;Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya&quot; which was going to take place in Koyna Hostel has been cancelled,&quot; read the official letter of cancellation tweeted by a user.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">So much for freedom of speech and tolerance.......Talk Of Dr Subramanian <a href="https://twitter.com/Swamy39?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Swamy39</a> at JNU tonight Wed 6th Dec 2017 at 9:30 pm &ldquo;Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya ?&rdquo;* has been cancelled as the organisers have been informed by JNU ! <a href="https://twitter.com/jagdishshetty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jagdishshetty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vhsindia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vhsindia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NATRAJSHETTY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NATRAJSHETTY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MaheshJoshi_MJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaheshJoshi_MJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/4SWEEOX92P">pic.twitter.com/4SWEEOX92P</a></p>
&mdash; nikunj shah ???? (@niku1630) <a href="https://twitter.com/niku1630/status/938246518296809472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The letter was signed by the senior warden of Koyna Hostel. No explanation has been given so far for the cancellation.&nbsp;</p>


The decision by university authorities to cancel the session is being described as unanimous

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy was expected to interact with students of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University at the institute's Koyna Hostel today. The session on ‘Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya?’ was slated to begin at 9.30pm on December 6 but was cancelled by university authorities in what is being described as a unanimous decision. Talk titled ' Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya?' to be held in JNU's Koyna Hostel has been cancelled by University authorities. Subramanian Swamy was to take part in the talk. — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × "The competent authority has decided that no talk will take place at Koyna Hostel, JNU ON 6/12/2017. Hence the talk entitled, "Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya" which was going to take place in Koyna Hostel has been cancelled," read the official letter of cancellation tweeted by a user. So much for freedom of speech and tolerance.......Talk Of Dr Subramanian @Swamy39 at JNU tonight Wed 6th Dec 2017 at 9:30 pm “Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya ?”* has been cancelled as the organisers have been informed by JNU ! @jagdishshetty @vhsindia @NATRAJSHETTY @MaheshJoshi_MJ pic.twitter.com/4SWEEOX92P — nikunj shah ???? (@niku1630) December 6, 2017 × The letter was signed by the senior warden of Koyna Hostel. No explanation has been given so far for the cancellation.

JNU cancels Subramanian Swamy session on 'Why Ram Mandir in Ayodhya?'

<p>The new regulations put forth by the University Grants Commission&rsquo;s (UGC) have opened a can of worms. A majority of&nbsp;teaching faculty as well as&nbsp;student bodies across the country are protesting against what they term as &ldquo;irrational, unreasonable and arbitrary&rdquo; set of rules. The proposed changes now mirror&nbsp;a step towards favouring exclusion and discrimination against the less-advantaged.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Apart from a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/exploring-the-larger-picture-behind-new-ugc-regulations-14602"> cap</a> on the number of MPhil and PhD students who can now be supervised by a university teacher, there are talks of doing away with deprivation points in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) of India. Deprivation points are a part of JNU&rsquo;s unique admission policy of awarding special points to applicants from backward areas and marginalised communities. Upto a maximum of 12 points are given to candidates from rural areas of the country, female or transgender students, Kashmiri migrants, minorities, and students belonging to SC, ST and OBC.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>WION&#39;s exclusive coverage of the new UGC regulations:&nbsp;</h3>

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<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FmV-pchgFo4" width="970"></iframe></p>

<p>Lata Singh, Chairperson of Centre for Women&rsquo;s Studies (CWS) of JNU reflects on the hypocrisy at the administrative level. She says, &ldquo;On one hand we want to be comparable to a world class university and get global rankings, on the other we don&rsquo;t want adequate representation of all sections of the society. Inclusivity is the key--we need to bring the 70 per cent&nbsp;marginalised people of India in the centre.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>we need to bring the 70 per cent&nbsp;marginalised people of India in the centre</h5>
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<p>Singh highlights that a university like JNU with deprivation points was enabling many &ldquo;first generations to acquire higher education&rdquo;. &ldquo;There are many first generations studying here at CWS. I personally know of many such stories--one student is from a family of Dalits, who has made it this far for the first time. There is another student where the girl&rsquo;s parents are construction workers and she is the only one doing research. If deprivation points weren&rsquo;t in practice, these students would never have been able to make it. These youngsters would have remained in the circle of job their parents are currently in. Thus, never breaking the cycle,&rdquo; Singh adds.&nbsp;</p>

<p>JNU Teachers&rsquo; Association (JNUTA) states that the university campus is considered non-discriminatory and safe for women. In 2017, more women (453) than men (433) joined the MPhil or PhD programme, according to teachers&rsquo; data. Doing away with deprivation points would &ldquo;act as an impediment in maintaining a good representation of women scholars of the country&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>G. Arunima, Professor at CWS says, &ldquo;I am appalled and feel that this is a colossal mistake -- Deprivation point system is the contribution of this university to a new way of thinking.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It is over and above the constitutionally mandated system.</p>

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<h5>The girl&rsquo;s parents are construction workers and she is the only one doing research. If deprivation points weren&rsquo;t in practice, these students would never have been able to make it.</h5>
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<p>&ldquo;Now among the kind that get the benefit of deprivation points, one are female students and they are not homogenous -- it is important to understand how many of them are Dalit, Muslim, Adivasi students or belonging to backward and small town regions. In a country where girls are barely sent to study, this system changed the complexion of the university. And it is not mechanical, it changes the kind of of discussion that happens in the classroom -- students from diverse backgrounds bring in certain kinds of criticality that will force you to rethink certain assumptions you work with.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Teachers from different schools in the university are worried that &ldquo;JNU is under threat--all the things it stood for will be threatened with this move&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arunima says, &ldquo;We should not be moving toward homogeneity, we should appreciate the diversity and that is where deprivation points play their role. There are students who have been working in order to study here. They have worked in construction sites, as drivers, they have fought with their families asking not to get in their way of higher education. After masters, there is pressure to get married. I have tried to figure out in our Centre how to get projects for girls so that they can stay and do research.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I cannot believe we are living through this time. It&#39;s not just building a case for us, we worry what the future is. Universities provide a progressive space, it is about critical thinking. What will we do without a country with critical thinking?&rdquo; she says.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In March 2017, Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by JNU students, stating that the university cannot formulate its own admission policy -- declaring the system of deprivation point as &ldquo;legally impermissible&rdquo;. This is being observed by teachers and students as &ldquo;taking away from JNU&nbsp;its multiplicity of voices&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>In March 2017, Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by JNU students, stating that the university cannot formulate its own admission policy -- declaring the system of deprivation point as &ldquo;legally impermissible&rdquo;</h5>
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<p>Students, who are collectively reeling under a lot of pressure after the seat reduction for research applicants, cite the removal of deprivation points as &ldquo;contrary to the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy&rdquo;. In their petition, they also challenged the provisions of laying down a minimum percentage requirement of 55 per cent&nbsp;for General category and 50 per cent&nbsp;for Reserved category as well as 100 per cent&nbsp;weightage given to viva voice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ajay Kumar Patnaik, Professor in Centre for Russian Studies and School of International Studies who also held the position of the President of JNUTA twice does not mince words at all. Left with no seats this year for admitting research students in his Centre, he sees UGC&rsquo;s move as a &ldquo;dictat&rdquo;. He says, &ldquo;This is a public funded university and the people of the country have the right to get educated here. They should have given the university time to rationalise this. UGC just gave a dictat. UGC has also stopped scholarships.&rdquo;</p>

<p>He also strongly feels that &ldquo;diversity of universities should be taken into account&rdquo;. He says, &ldquo;Our autonomy should have been respected. UGC must not try to destroy the future of JNU. Students from all sections come here, make it here and then go on to do big things. No admissions this year, will affect the future generations.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Patnaik served as the chairman of the Deprivation Points Committee, JNU till last year. He says, &ldquo;Last year we revised and tweaked the deprivation points scheme so that it benefits students from backward districts--both girls and boys. The best part about the scheme is that it&rsquo;s caste-neutral but now this has all been done away with. The UGC regulations is anti-deprived areas, anti-backward people.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Associate Professor, SS Maitra of School of Biotechnology, JNU, however, differs on his view on deprivation points.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Even within the reserved categories, backgrounds vary. One&rsquo;s father may be an IAS officer and another a construction worker. So therefore, their deprivation differs. The two of them get the same benefits of the deprivation point system. The quota system is rigid here and anybody can take advantage of it, irrespective of their family backgrounds. Such a system might work if students are categorised based on their financial status and family backgrounds,&rdquo;he says.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Another issue at hand is also to restrict the scope of research topics feels Lata Singh.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Singh adds, &ldquo;Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) is only doing research on mythology. Their topics are &lsquo;Ram Setu, river Saraswati, Ramjanmabhoomi&rsquo;--they want to rewrite history. They want to promote research on our glorious history and past.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Here in JNU, students are researching on various things: body and sexuality, transgender rights. AFSPA in Kashmir. They don&rsquo;t want that. They tell us: &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t talk about body and sexuality.&rsquo; But then ironically also want to be in the global rankings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;In all selection committee, RSS candidates don&rsquo;t get shortlisted because of the nature of their research proposal. So they want a backdoor entry,&rdquo; she adds.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Manvendra Chauhan, Office Secretary in the ABVP unit of JNU feels that &ldquo;in all this chaos JNU has been impacted the most out of all other universities because it has the highest number of research scholars&rdquo;. He says, &ldquo;This year also JNU got All India Rank 2nd just because of the quality of research but the future doesn&rsquo;t look too promising.&rdquo;</p>

<p>On deprivation points, he adds, &ldquo;Deprivation points are being implemented more or less, in admission. The matter is still pending in the courts so let&#39;s see.&rdquo;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


From deprivation points to monitoring what students can research on, UGC casts a long shadow on Indian universities

The new regulations put forth by the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) have opened a can of worms. A majority of teaching faculty as well as student bodies across the country are protesting against what they term as “irrational, unreasonable and arbitrary” set of rules. The proposed changes now mirror a step towards favouring exclusion and discrimination against the less-advantaged. Apart from a cap on the number of MPhil and PhD students who can now be supervised by a university teacher, there are talks of doing away with deprivation points in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) of India. Deprivation points are a part of JNU’s unique admission policy of awarding special points to applicants from backward areas and marginalised communities. Upto a maximum of 12 points are given to candidates from rural areas of the country, female or transgender students, Kashmiri migrants, minorities, and students belonging to SC, ST and OBC. WION's exclusive coverage of the new UGC regulations: Lata Singh, Chairperson of Centre for Women’s Studies (CWS) of JNU reflects on the hypocrisy at the administrative level. She says, “On one hand we want to be comparable to a world class university and get global rankings, on the other we don’t want adequate representation of all sections of the society. Inclusivity is the key--we need to bring the 70 per cent marginalised people of India in the centre.” we need to bring the 70 per cent marginalised people of India in the centre × Singh highlights that a university like JNU with deprivation points was enabling many “first generations to acquire higher education”. “There are many first generations studying here at CWS. I personally know of many such stories--one student is from a family of Dalits, who has made it this far for the first time. There is another student where the girl’s parents are construction workers and she is the only one doing research. If deprivation points weren’t in practice, these students would never have been able to make it. These youngsters would have remained in the circle of job their parents are currently in. Thus, never breaking the cycle,” Singh adds. JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) states that the university campus is considered non-discriminatory and safe for women. In 2017, more women (453) than men (433) joined the MPhil or PhD programme, according to teachers’ data. Doing away with deprivation points would “act as an impediment in maintaining a good representation of women scholars of the country”. G. Arunima, Professor at CWS says, “I am appalled and feel that this is a colossal mistake -- Deprivation point system is the contribution of this university to a new way of thinking. “It is over and above the constitutionally mandated system. The girl’s parents are construction workers and she is the only one doing research. If deprivation points weren’t in practice, these students would never have been able to make it. × “Now among the kind that get the benefit of deprivation points, one are female students and they are not homogenous -- it is important to understand how many of them are Dalit, Muslim, Adivasi students or belonging to backward and small town regions. In a country where girls are barely sent to study, this system changed the complexion of the university. And it is not mechanical, it changes the kind of of discussion that happens in the classroom -- students from diverse backgrounds bring in certain kinds of criticality that will force you to rethink certain assumptions you work with.” Teachers from different schools in the university are worried that “JNU is under threat--all the things it stood for will be threatened with this move”. Arunima says, “We should not be moving toward homogeneity, we should appreciate the diversity and that is where deprivation points play their role. There are students who have been working in order to study here. They have worked in construction sites, as drivers, they have fought with their families asking not to get in their way of higher education. After masters, there is pressure to get married. I have tried to figure out in our Centre how to get projects for girls so that they can stay and do research. “I cannot believe we are living through this time. It's not just building a case for us, we worry what the future is. Universities provide a progressive space, it is about critical thinking. What will we do without a country with critical thinking?” she says. In March 2017, Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by JNU students, stating that the university cannot formulate its own admission policy -- declaring the system of deprivation point as “legally impermissible”. This is being observed by teachers and students as “taking away from JNU its multiplicity of voices”. In March 2017, Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by JNU students, stating that the university cannot formulate its own admission policy -- declaring the system of deprivation point as “legally impermissible” × Students, who are collectively reeling under a lot of pressure after the seat reduction for research applicants, cite the removal of deprivation points as “contrary to the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy”. In their petition, they also challenged the provisions of laying down a minimum percentage requirement of 55 per cent for General category and 50 per cent for Reserved category as well as 100 per cent weightage given to viva voice. Ajay Kumar Patnaik, Professor in Centre for Russian Studies and School of International Studies who also held the position of the President of JNUTA twice does not mince words at all. Left with no seats this year for admitting research students in his Centre, he sees UGC’s move as a “dictat”. He says, “This is a public funded university and the people of the country have the right to get educated here. They should have given the university time to rationalise this. UGC just gave a dictat. UGC has also stopped scholarships.” He also strongly feels that “diversity of universities should be taken into account”. He says, “Our autonomy should have been respected. UGC must not try to destroy the future of JNU. Students from all sections come here, make it here and then go on to do big things. No admissions this year, will affect the future generations.” Patnaik served as the chairman of the Deprivation Points Committee, JNU till last year. He says, “Last year we revised and tweaked the deprivation points scheme so that it benefits students from backward districts--both girls and boys. The best part about the scheme is that it’s caste-neutral but now this has all been done away with. The UGC regulations is anti-deprived areas, anti-backward people.” Associate Professor, SS Maitra of School of Biotechnology, JNU, however, differs on his view on deprivation points. “Even within the reserved categories, backgrounds vary. One’s father may be an IAS officer and another a construction worker. So therefore, their deprivation differs. The two of them get the same benefits of the deprivation point system. The quota system is rigid here and anybody can take advantage of it, irrespective of their family backgrounds. Such a system might work if students are categorised based on their financial status and family backgrounds,”he says. One’s father may be an IAS officer and another a construction worker. So therefore, their deprivation differs. The two of them get the same benefits of the deprivation point system. × Another issue at hand is also to restrict the scope of research topics feels Lata Singh. Singh adds, “Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) is only doing research on mythology. Their topics are ‘Ram Setu, river Saraswati, Ramjanmabhoomi’--they want to rewrite history. They want to promote research on our glorious history and past. “Here in JNU, students are researching on various things: body and sexuality, transgender rights. AFSPA in Kashmir. They don’t want that. They tell us: ‘Don’t talk about body and sexuality.’ But then ironically also want to be in the global rankings. “In all selection committee, RSS candidates don’t get shortlisted because of the nature of their research proposal. So they want a backdoor entry,” she adds. Manvendra Chauhan, Office Secretary in the ABVP unit of JNU feels that “in all this chaos JNU has been impacted the most out of all other universities because it has the highest number of research scholars”. He says, “This year also JNU got All India Rank 2nd just because of the quality of research but the future doesn’t look too promising.” On deprivation points, he adds, “Deprivation points are being implemented more or less, in admission. The matter is still pending in the courts so let's see.” (WION)

New UGC regulations will affect the weaker and disadvantaged sections the most

<p>Witnessing a series of changes, higher education in India is ready to get a makeover of sorts, but is it for good? Discussing these issues and how it affects all factions concerned in a university space, WION visits the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).&nbsp;</p>

<p>G. Arunima, Professor at Centre for Women&rsquo;s Studies (CWS) School of Social Sciences, JNU was taken aback by the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations concerning seat cut for research across universities of the country. Being a founding member of the CWS, she says, &ldquo;We were going to expand and also start a masters program at the centre. At this point, you get sledgehammered on your head -- I&rsquo;m sorry, this is a cap.&rdquo;</p>

<h3>Watch: WION&#39;s exclusive coverage of new UGC regulations:</h3>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FmV-pchgFo4" width="970"></iframe></p>

<p>According to new regulations put forth by the UGC, which is tasked by the Indian Parliament for coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education--there will now be a cap on the number of MPhil and PhD students a professor can supervise at a time.</p>

<p>Apart from seat reduction in research, the new regulations also make written examinations a qualifier for viva voice with weightage for selection depending solely on viva voice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arunima explores how hierarchical the scheme of seat capping is. She says, &ldquo;A young person who is finishing PhD and coming into the teaching profession is throbbing with excitement -- how do you stop them from supervising and tell them that you can only have one student. On what ground is it assumed that once you have gone through a certain age or have been a senior member is only when you can supervise more students?&rdquo;</p>

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<p><strong>Privatisation of education sector in India</strong></p>

<p>While most teachers at the university find the move arbitrary and don&rsquo;t feel nice about being left out of the discussion process, Lata Singh, Chairperson of Centre for Women&rsquo;s Studies believes that &ldquo;there are several conspiracy theories behind the cap&rdquo;. She emphasises that &ldquo;it is about power, autonomy, and privatisation: pay and study model is what they want to employ&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Singh adds, &ldquo;They are aiming for privatisation. We can already see mushrooming of private universities which will ultimately have collaborations with foreign universities and serve the elite or those who can fund their higher education. How the health sector in India is largely private, education of India is also turning to privatisation slowly.&rdquo;</p>

<h3>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/new-ugc-regulations-will-affect-the-weaker-and-disadvantaged-sections-the-most-14645">How the new UGC regulations will affect the weaker sections the most</a></h3>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arunima also agrees that privatisation is a major motive behind the cap.</p>

<p>&ldquo;With the cap and privatisation coming to play, underprivileged students will have no access to higher education. How many can afford private universities? They are killing the dreams of a generation. Scholarships are not coming on time, fees are very high. If things were not so serious, one would laugh but it is so, so scary. JNU is becoming something that most of us do not recognise&rdquo;, says Arunima.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Tampering the character of universities</strong></p>

<p>Every university has a soul of its own, its own character and is distinctly unique from any other university. Teaching faculty as well as the students feel that this move would change the communication patterns within the campus.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gaurish from Kerala is a second year student of Masters in Arts and Aesthetics. He is disturbed and feels clueless about his future. He says, &ldquo;All students in my department are very worried and disturbed. There are hardly five seats in each stream of my department and we don&#39;t know what to do. Even to apply in a publication, we will need to showcase our research or papers. JNU gives a space where you can discover yourself and opportunities but the campus itself has changed a lot, everybody seems to be depressed.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Reiterating that UGC should have thought through before coming with a mandate, he says, &ldquo;Teachers have to have a say in these things. It&rsquo;s not taking into consideration what each university stands for, admin hasn&#39;t had a proper dialogue with teachers. I don&rsquo;t think it would work.&rdquo;</p>

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<p><strong>Overburdening or Redundancy?</strong>&nbsp;</p>

<p>UGC comes out with guidelines every once-in-a-while to better the workings of our universities, but teachers feel the reason given by UGC does not stand the test of time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arunima differs with the reasoning and adds, &ldquo;We are not overburdened. We ourselves decided the cap based on faculty strength. The students are given the option of choosing their mentor based on the research topics. There has got to be a creative, thoughtful and academic way to arrive at the numbers -- based on the faculty strength and we need to have a discussion constantly. Most serious academic institutions do that. It&rsquo;s not that anyone is arbitrarily saying that let&rsquo;s bring the entire universe to the university.</p>

<p>&ldquo;The exceptional status of JNU - it is envisaged as a research university.</p>

<p>&ldquo;If I was in the UGC, I would applaud that JNU does these things&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While exploring different angles, it is also important to bring in the perspective of Teachers Body like Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA). Ajay Kumar Patnaik, Professor in Centre for Russian Studies and School of International Studies who also held the position of the President of JNUTA twice also claims that the teachers are not pressurised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Patnaik says, &ldquo;You can&#39;t equate teachers from JNU with other university teachers, because we don&#39;t have the same load shared by other university teachers. We don&#39;t have undergraduate students.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;You can&#39;t have a higher education institution when there is no student. This is a department which admitted 40 students every year. This year, it&#39;s zero. For next two years or so, I will be getting my salary for nothing, without taking any classes, without teaching and it&rsquo;s not a good feeling. In a country where the share of students going to higher education is still very low, so to restrict students from getting higher education is a crime. JNU has top ranks--at a time like this when more number of students want to join the university they can&rsquo;t join-- it&rsquo;s a tragic situation.&rdquo;</p>

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<p><strong>Is the new regulation, a work of the government?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Lata Singh believes that JNU, being the voice of critique, has come under the scanner. She questions: &ldquo;Very clearly the government is taking the name of UGC. Why should otherwise Ministry of Human Resource Development come to defense in the Parliament? Why isn&rsquo;t UGC made to answer on its own?&rdquo;</p>

<p>She adds, &ldquo;No government will like to hear this. Critique of Hindutva for contemporary government is a problem.&rdquo;</p>

<p>She also proposes a theory that &ldquo;this is a strategy for backdoor entry of government-favoured candidates.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Some professors, however, believe that the regulations are not such a bad thing.</p>

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<h5>I speak for the science school and I feel the cap is not such a bad idea</h5>
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<p>SS Maitra, Associate Professor of Biochemical Engineering, says a regulation of this kind was long overdue and such a cap will only enhance the quality of research scholars produced by the university.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;It is only impossible to accommodate more than eight students in a science school because the lab is only 600 sq ft large and we have to fit in equipment as well as students in that space. I speak for the science school and I feel the cap is not such a bad idea. Some professors have 1-2 students and others have 16-18 -- it is unfair and is like oiling the oily head.</p>

<p>Professors take in more students only to build their reputation. A professor with 15 students will definitely not be able to give equal attention to all his students,&rdquo; says Maitra.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Passed as a mandate by the UGC, the new rules are applicable across the country. Both students and teachers fear for the future of the university spaces as well as career paths of those who had especially prepared to join universities like JNU in this academic session.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


'I will be getting my salary for nothing, without taking any classes--and it?s not a good feeling', says Prof AK Patnaik of JNU

Witnessing a series of changes, higher education in India is ready to get a makeover of sorts, but is it for good? Discussing these issues and how it affects all factions concerned in a university space, WION visits the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). G. Arunima, Professor at Centre for Women’s Studies (CWS) School of Social Sciences, JNU was taken aback by the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations concerning seat cut for research across universities of the country. Being a founding member of the CWS, she says, “We were going to expand and also start a masters program at the centre. At this point, you get sledgehammered on your head -- I’m sorry, this is a cap.” Watch: WION's exclusive coverage of new UGC regulations: According to new regulations put forth by the UGC, which is tasked by the Indian Parliament for coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education--there will now be a cap on the number of MPhil and PhD students a professor can supervise at a time. Apart from seat reduction in research, the new regulations also make written examinations a qualifier for viva voice with weightage for selection depending solely on viva voice. Arunima explores how hierarchical the scheme of seat capping is. She says, “A young person who is finishing PhD and coming into the teaching profession is throbbing with excitement -- how do you stop them from supervising and tell them that you can only have one student. On what ground is it assumed that once you have gone through a certain age or have been a senior member is only when you can supervise more students?” It is about power, autonomy, and privatisation: pay and study model is what they want to employ × Privatisation of education sector in India While most teachers at the university find the move arbitrary and don’t feel nice about being left out of the discussion process, Lata Singh, Chairperson of Centre for Women’s Studies believes that “there are several conspiracy theories behind the cap”. She emphasises that “it is about power, autonomy, and privatisation: pay and study model is what they want to employ”. Singh adds, “They are aiming for privatisation. We can already see mushrooming of private universities which will ultimately have collaborations with foreign universities and serve the elite or those who can fund their higher education. How the health sector in India is largely private, education of India is also turning to privatisation slowly.” Also read: How the new UGC regulations will affect the weaker sections the most Arunima also agrees that privatisation is a major motive behind the cap. “With the cap and privatisation coming to play, underprivileged students will have no access to higher education. How many can afford private universities? They are killing the dreams of a generation. Scholarships are not coming on time, fees are very high. If things were not so serious, one would laugh but it is so, so scary. JNU is becoming something that most of us do not recognise”, says Arunima. Scholarships are not coming on time, fees are very high. If things were not so serious, one would laugh but it is so, so scary × Tampering the character of universities Every university has a soul of its own, its own character and is distinctly unique from any other university. Teaching faculty as well as the students feel that this move would change the communication patterns within the campus. Gaurish from Kerala is a second year student of Masters in Arts and Aesthetics. He is disturbed and feels clueless about his future. He says, “All students in my department are very worried and disturbed. There are hardly five seats in each stream of my department and we don't know what to do. Even to apply in a publication, we will need to showcase our research or papers. JNU gives a space where you can discover yourself and opportunities but the campus itself has changed a lot, everybody seems to be depressed.” Reiterating that UGC should have thought through before coming with a mandate, he says, “Teachers have to have a say in these things. It’s not taking into consideration what each university stands for, admin hasn't had a proper dialogue with teachers. I don’t think it would work.” All students in my department are very worried and disturbed. There are hardly five seats in each stream of my department and we don't know what to do × Overburdening or Redundancy? UGC comes out with guidelines every once-in-a-while to better the workings of our universities, but teachers feel the reason given by UGC does not stand the test of time. Arunima differs with the reasoning and adds, “We are not overburdened. We ourselves decided the cap based on faculty strength. The students are given the option of choosing their mentor based on the research topics. There has got to be a creative, thoughtful and academic way to arrive at the numbers -- based on the faculty strength and we need to have a discussion constantly. Most serious academic institutions do that. It’s not that anyone is arbitrarily saying that let’s bring the entire universe to the university. “The exceptional status of JNU - it is envisaged as a research university. “If I was in the UGC, I would applaud that JNU does these things”. While exploring different angles, it is also important to bring in the perspective of Teachers Body like Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA). Ajay Kumar Patnaik, Professor in Centre for Russian Studies and School of International Studies who also held the position of the President of JNUTA twice also claims that the teachers are not pressurised. Patnaik says, “You can't equate teachers from JNU with other university teachers, because we don't have the same load shared by other university teachers. We don't have undergraduate students. “You can't have a higher education institution when there is no student. This is a department which admitted 40 students every year. This year, it's zero. For next two years or so, I will be getting my salary for nothing, without taking any classes, without teaching and it’s not a good feeling. In a country where the share of students going to higher education is still very low, so to restrict students from getting higher education is a crime. JNU has top ranks--at a time like this when more number of students want to join the university they can’t join-- it’s a tragic situation.” In a country where the share of students going to higher education is still very low, so to restrict students from getting higher education is a crime × Is the new regulation, a work of the government? Lata Singh believes that JNU, being the voice of critique, has come under the scanner. She questions: “Very clearly the government is taking the name of UGC. Why should otherwise Ministry of Human Resource Development come to defense in the Parliament? Why isn’t UGC made to answer on its own?” She adds, “No government will like to hear this. Critique of Hindutva for contemporary government is a problem.” She also proposes a theory that “this is a strategy for backdoor entry of government-favoured candidates.” Some professors, however, believe that the regulations are not such a bad thing. I speak for the science school and I feel the cap is not such a bad idea × SS Maitra, Associate Professor of Biochemical Engineering, says a regulation of this kind was long overdue and such a cap will only enhance the quality of research scholars produced by the university. “It is only impossible to accommodate more than eight students in a science school because the lab is only 600 sq ft large and we have to fit in equipment as well as students in that space. I speak for the science school and I feel the cap is not such a bad idea. Some professors have 1-2 students and others have 16-18 -- it is unfair and is like oiling the oily head. Professors take in more students only to build their reputation. A professor with 15 students will definitely not be able to give equal attention to all his students,” says Maitra. Passed as a mandate by the UGC, the new rules are applicable across the country. Both students and teachers fear for the future of the university spaces as well as career paths of those who had especially prepared to join universities like JNU in this academic session. (WION)

Exploring the larger picture behind new UGC regulations

<p>After several rejections, JNU will now offer a short-term course in yoga philosphy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The course has been approved by the university&#39;s academic council,&nbsp;which had earlier rejected it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Academic Council on Thursday. It will be an excellent idea to celebrate Yoga Day (on June 21) by approving the much-debated course,&quot; PTI reported a a senior university official as saying.</p>

<p>The proposal to introduce the course on yoga and two courses on Indian culture was first floated in 2015.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hindu right-wing organisations like the RSS have been keen on propagating &quot;Indian culture&quot; on campuses.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the courses were rejected by the academic council.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PTI reported that the &quot;proposal was rejected by the Academic Council (AC), the university&#39;s statutory decision making body, in November, 2015. However, the varsity had in May last year decided to reconsider it and the departments were asked to rework on the proposed course structure and place it before the council.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>And that &quot;the proposal was again rejected in the Academic Council meeting in October last year.</p>

<p>Teachers from JNU though have been at pains to point out that the courses were not &quot;rejected&quot; -- but sent back for reconsideration and reworking because they had been found wanting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While the course in yoga philosophy has now been approved, there is no word yet on the two courses proposed on Indian culture.</p>


The course was approved by the university's Academic Council

After several rejections, JNU will now offer a short-term course in yoga philosphy. The course has been approved by the university's academic council, which had earlier rejected it. "A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Academic Council on Thursday. It will be an excellent idea to celebrate Yoga Day (on June 21) by approving the much-debated course," PTI reported a a senior university official as saying. The proposal to introduce the course on yoga and two courses on Indian culture was first floated in 2015. Hindu right-wing organisations like the RSS have been keen on propagating "Indian culture" on campuses. But the courses were rejected by the academic council. PTI reported that the "proposal was rejected by the Academic Council (AC), the university's statutory decision making body, in November, 2015. However, the varsity had in May last year decided to reconsider it and the departments were asked to rework on the proposed course structure and place it before the council." And that "the proposal was again rejected in the Academic Council meeting in October last year. Teachers from JNU though have been at pains to point out that the courses were not "rejected" -- but sent back for reconsideration and reworking because they had been found wanting. While the course in yoga philosophy has now been approved, there is no word yet on the two courses proposed on Indian culture.

After several rejections, JNU approves yoga course

<p>Jodhpur based varsity, Jai Narain Vyas University filed a complaint on Friday against Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Nivedita Menon over alleged remarks about Kashmir and the Indian Army during a seminar held at the campus on Thursday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The case was registered against Menon for allegedly making &quot;anti-national&quot; remarks, which led to protests by ABVP activists.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The university was closed down on Friday and an internal probe into the matter has been ordered.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Vice chancellor R P Singh said, &quot;We have filed a complaint with police against Menon and the organising secretary of the seminar, Assistant Professor Raj Shree Ranawat. We have also set up an inquiry team which will look into the entire episode.&quot;</p>

<p>A professor at the School of International Studies, Menon was invited to give a lecture on the topic&nbsp;&lsquo;History reinterpreted: nation, individual and culture&rsquo; by the Department of English.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is not the first time Menon has been pulled up by university authorities. On December 28, 2016, she was given a warning notice by JNU for allegedly violating rules over addressing students near the administrative building.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from agencies)</p>

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Jai Narain Vyas University filed the complaint against Nivedita Menon over alleged remarks about Kashmir and the Indian Army during a seminar

Jodhpur based varsity, Jai Narain Vyas University filed a complaint on Friday against Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Nivedita Menon over alleged remarks about Kashmir and the Indian Army during a seminar held at the campus on Thursday. The case was registered against Menon for allegedly making "anti-national" remarks, which led to protests by ABVP activists. The university was closed down on Friday and an internal probe into the matter has been ordered. Vice chancellor R P Singh said, "We have filed a complaint with police against Menon and the organising secretary of the seminar, Assistant Professor Raj Shree Ranawat. We have also set up an inquiry team which will look into the entire episode." A professor at the School of International Studies, Menon was invited to give a lecture on the topic ‘History reinterpreted: nation, individual and culture’ by the Department of English. This is not the first time Menon has been pulled up by university authorities. On December 28, 2016, she was given a warning notice by JNU for allegedly violating rules over addressing students near the administrative building. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Jodhpur varsity files complaint against JNU professor over 'anti-national' remarks

<p>It has been four days since Najeeb Ahmed, a Master&#39;s student of biotechnology at New Delhi&#39;s Jawaharlal Nehru University, went missing after being &quot;beaten up&quot; on campus by activists of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad,&nbsp;the student wing of India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
On Wednesday, Ahmed&#39;s parents waited anxiously for his return outside the administrative block of the university. Despite rumours on the campus, his mother hopes he will come back safely. Students&#39; organisations, apart from the ABVP, are holding protest meetings in a bid to pressure the administration to come down hard on those accused of beating up Ahmed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The administration, however, has held Ahmed an accused in the incident despite the fact that he was beaten up after which he disappeared from the campus. This is evident from the press release issued by the university administration.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahmed&#39;s parents, however, have filed a first information report (FIR) in which they have said that they fear&nbsp;their son has&nbsp;been abducted. Speculation&nbsp;that Ahmed might have left the campus on his own is also doing the rounds.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The JNU administration has not yet filed a case against the four accused ABVP activists, Vikrant, Vijendar, Ayush Bharadwaj and Ankit, for thrashing Ahmed, but has sought the&nbsp;help of the central investigating agency the&nbsp;CBI (Central of Bureau Investigation), and the National Crime Records Bureau.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The administration has also accused the students of giving the incident a communal colour. After Ahmed went missing,&nbsp;remarks like &quot;All Muslims are terrorists&quot; were found scrawled on the walls of hostels and in washrooms.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Ahmed joined JNU on August 1 and had&nbsp;been living there ever since, his batchmates said. They were shocked to read that he was accused of assaulting Vikrant, an ABVP member. It is alleged that Ahmed beat Vikrant when he went to Ahmed&#39;s&nbsp;room to collect funds for a hostel function. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&quot;Why would Ahmed beat someone for wearing a red thread on his wrist? He was himself fond of several festivals celebrated by Hindus and would participate in them. It is not possible that he would beat someone for that,&quot; Ahmed&#39;s mother said to WION, &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Recalling October 14,&nbsp;when the alleged incident took place, Anas, an eyewitness, told WION, &quot;I was on the ground floor of the Mahi Mandvi hostel when I heard loud cries from the first floor. I rushed to the spot and saw Ahmed apologising with folded hands. ABVP guys were surrounding him -- beating him up one by one. They were also making communal remarks while doing that. One of them said, &#39;Let&#39;s send him to heaven today&#39;.&quot; &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Another eyewitness corroborated what Anas had to say, &quot;I was campaigning in the Mahi Mandvi Hostel for the hostel committee polls when Vikrant&nbsp;came up to me and said that Ahmed had beaten him up on seeing a red thread on his wrist. But when I went to check Ahmed in his room, I found him bleeding from his nose. When I asked what was wrong, he remained quiet.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The guards reached the spot 10 to 15 minutes after the incident, the students told WION. Najeeb was reportedly dragged to the washroom where he was thrashed again by the ABVP boys. The G4S security guards, who normally record such incidents, did not do so this time. &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
The warden of the hostel, Sushil Kumar, &nbsp;intervened and took the men to the investigation room, where Ahmed was accused for the incident. A letter signed by different stakeholders, including the JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students&#39; Union) president&nbsp;Mohit Pandey, endorsed the decision of the warden to expel Ahmed from the hostel.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Talking to WION, Sushil Kumar said, &quot;I held him guilty on account of the witnesses present in that room who stated that Najeeb had sought forgiveness by folding his hands.&quot;&nbsp;However, Najeeb&#39;s supporters believe that the witnesses cannot be believed since they are from the ABVP.</p>

<p>&quot;The witnesses in the room belonged to the ABVP, the warden did not take this into cognisance<strong>. </strong>Besides, Ahmed&nbsp;merely folding his hands in front of people who were thrashing him does not prove his guilt,&quot; a student who was present when the incident took place told WION. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Following this, Ahmed called up his mother who lives in Uttar Pradesh and asked her to come to Delhi. She last spoke to Ahmed on the morning of&nbsp;October 15 when she reached Delhi, but was unable to find Najeeb in his hostel on the same day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahmed&#39;s disappearance from the university has stoked fresh political protest on the campus. Students from different Left, Dalit and Muslim organisations are accusing the ABVP of having deliberately created a situation of communal discord in a bid to polarise students on the basis of religion. The ABVP, however, has accused Left organisations of giving the incident a communal colour. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Heba Ahmed, a student and activist of YFDA (Youth Forum for Discussions and Welfare Activities), a non-political group for Muslim students of JNU, said, &nbsp;&quot;The pattern of ABVP-RSS-BJP constructing a discourse of Hindu victimhood is again at work. This time, instead of targeting a Dalit student, they have made a frontal attack on a Muslim. They chose their target for the lynch mob carefully: a Muslim student who is new on&nbsp;campus, and is friendless and defenceless. ABVP has alleged that Najeeb made a religiously motivated attack on their cadre campaigning for hostel elections. The fact that Najeeb was brutally lynched, even in front of the hostel warden, has been twisted and erased. The fact that a graffiti saying, &#39;Muslims Are Terrorists&#39;, &#39;Pakistani Mullah Go Back&#39;&nbsp;have been left in the common room and the washroom of Mahi-Mandavi Hostel is being completely ignored by the administration. That even now&nbsp;the hostel in question resembles a war&nbsp;zone in which Muslim students still feel intimidated and threatened is not being considered. The administration has consistently refused to file an official complaint in this matter.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saurabh Sharma, an ABVP activist and former JNUSU office-holder, told WION, &quot;Our concern is that Najeeb should be found out and petty politics over the incident should end. It is absurd to hear that ABVP guys thrashed Najeeb, it is far from the&nbsp;truth. The matter had been resolved then and we have no role in his disappearance from the campus. Thousands of students from Jamia and Aligarh Muslim University are being mobilised. What does this indicate?&quot; &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Commenting on the politics of the entire episode, he said that a situation of panic and fear was being created in the country before the elections in Uttar Pradesh&nbsp;like was created before the Bihar elections on account of the&nbsp;lynching of Akhlaq&nbsp;in Dadri. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;Amid&nbsp;all the tension that has gripped JNU, Najeeb&#39;s&nbsp;mother sits outside the university&#39;s administrative block, waiting for her son to come back.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Najeeb Ahmed of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University last spoke to his mother on October 15, a day after he was reportedly beaten up

It has been four days since Najeeb Ahmed, a Master's student of biotechnology at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, went missing after being "beaten up" on campus by activists of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. On Wednesday, Ahmed's parents waited anxiously for his return outside the administrative block of the university. Despite rumours on the campus, his mother hopes he will come back safely. Students' organisations, apart from the ABVP, are holding protest meetings in a bid to pressure the administration to come down hard on those accused of beating up Ahmed. The administration, however, has held Ahmed an accused in the incident despite the fact that he was beaten up after which he disappeared from the campus. This is evident from the press release issued by the university administration. Ahmed's parents, however, have filed a first information report (FIR) in which they have said that they fear their son has been abducted. Speculation that Ahmed might have left the campus on his own is also doing the rounds. The JNU administration has not yet filed a case against the four accused ABVP activists, Vikrant, Vijendar, Ayush Bharadwaj and Ankit, for thrashing Ahmed, but has sought the help of the central investigating agency the CBI (Central of Bureau Investigation), and the National Crime Records Bureau. The administration has also accused the students of giving the incident a communal colour. After Ahmed went missing, remarks like "All Muslims are terrorists" were found scrawled on the walls of hostels and in washrooms. Ahmed joined JNU on August 1 and had been living there ever since, his batchmates said. They were shocked to read that he was accused of assaulting Vikrant, an ABVP member. It is alleged that Ahmed beat Vikrant when he went to Ahmed's room to collect funds for a hostel function. "Why would Ahmed beat someone for wearing a red thread on his wrist? He was himself fond of several festivals celebrated by Hindus and would participate in them. It is not possible that he would beat someone for that," Ahmed's mother said to WION, Recalling October 14, when the alleged incident took place, Anas, an eyewitness, told WION, "I was on the ground floor of the Mahi Mandvi hostel when I heard loud cries from the first floor. I rushed to the spot and saw Ahmed apologising with folded hands. ABVP guys were surrounding him -- beating him up one by one. They were also making communal remarks while doing that. One of them said, 'Let's send him to heaven today'." Another eyewitness corroborated what Anas had to say, "I was campaigning in the Mahi Mandvi Hostel for the hostel committee polls when Vikrant came up to me and said that Ahmed had beaten him up on seeing a red thread on his wrist. But when I went to check Ahmed in his room, I found him bleeding from his nose. When I asked what was wrong, he remained quiet." The guards reached the spot 10 to 15 minutes after the incident, the students told WION. Najeeb was reportedly dragged to the washroom where he was thrashed again by the ABVP boys. The G4S security guards, who normally record such incidents, did not do so this time. The warden of the hostel, Sushil Kumar, intervened and took the men to the investigation room, where Ahmed was accused for the incident. A letter signed by different stakeholders, including the JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union) president Mohit Pandey, endorsed the decision of the warden to expel Ahmed from the hostel. Talking to WION, Sushil Kumar said, "I held him guilty on account of the witnesses present in that room who stated that Najeeb had sought forgiveness by folding his hands." However, Najeeb's supporters believe that the witnesses cannot be believed since they are from the ABVP. "The witnesses in the room belonged to the ABVP, the warden did not take this into cognisance. Besides, Ahmed merely folding his hands in front of people who were thrashing him does not prove his guilt," a student who was present when the incident took place told WION. Following this, Ahmed called up his mother who lives in Uttar Pradesh and asked her to come to Delhi. She last spoke to Ahmed on the morning of October 15 when she reached Delhi, but was unable to find Najeeb in his hostel on the same day. Ahmed's disappearance from the university has stoked fresh political protest on the campus. Students from different Left, Dalit and Muslim organisations are accusing the ABVP of having deliberately created a situation of communal discord in a bid to polarise students on the basis of religion. The ABVP, however, has accused Left organisations of giving the incident a communal colour. Heba Ahmed, a student and activist of YFDA (Youth Forum for Discussions and Welfare Activities), a non-political group for Muslim students of JNU, said, "The pattern of ABVP-RSS-BJP constructing a discourse of Hindu victimhood is again at work. This time, instead of targeting a Dalit student, they have made a frontal attack on a Muslim. They chose their target for the lynch mob carefully: a Muslim student who is new on campus, and is friendless and defenceless. ABVP has alleged that Najeeb made a religiously motivated attack on their cadre campaigning for hostel elections. The fact that Najeeb was brutally lynched, even in front of the hostel warden, has been twisted and erased. The fact that a graffiti saying, 'Muslims Are Terrorists', 'Pakistani Mullah Go Back' have been left in the common room and the washroom of Mahi-Mandavi Hostel is being completely ignored by the administration. That even now the hostel in question resembles a war zone in which Muslim students still feel intimidated and threatened is not being considered. The administration has consistently refused to file an official complaint in this matter." Saurabh Sharma, an ABVP activist and former JNUSU office-holder, told WION, "Our concern is that Najeeb should be found out and petty politics over the incident should end. It is absurd to hear that ABVP guys thrashed Najeeb, it is far from the truth. The matter had been resolved then and we have no role in his disappearance from the campus. Thousands of students from Jamia and Aligarh Muslim University are being mobilised. What does this indicate?" Commenting on the politics of the entire episode, he said that a situation of panic and fear was being created in the country before the elections in Uttar Pradesh like was created before the Bihar elections on account of the lynching of Akhlaq in Dadri. Amid all the tension that has gripped JNU, Najeeb's mother sits outside the university's administrative block, waiting for her son to come back. (WION)

India: Muslim student missing after 'thrashing' from right-wing activists, university on boil

A 28-year-old student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, a prestigious educational institute in India, has accused a student activist of raping her on Saturday (August 20).<br />
<br />
The woman, a first-year doctorate student, alleged that Anmol Ratan, who is also a JNU student, raped her in a hostel room on the university campus.<br />
<br />
Police lodged a case of rape and criminal intimidation against Ratan on Sunday (August 21).<br />
<br />
Ratan is a member of the All India Students&#39; Association (AISA), a left-wing student organisation.<br />
<br />
AISA, meanwhile, said it has expelled Ratan from its organisation.<br />
<br />
&quot;AISA takes serious note of the fact that Anmol Ratan, a leading activist of AISA, is facing a criminal complaint of sexual assault. He is, henceforth, expelled from the primary membership of AISA.&nbsp;We stand by the complainant in her fight for justice,&quot; Ashutosh Kumar, AISA Delhi State Secretary, said.<br />
<br />
The complainant told police that she had posted on her Facebook profile that she wanted to watch a movie named &#39;Sairat&#39; and asked if anyone had a CD of it.<br />
<br />
Ratan apparently messaged her saying that he had a copy. Thereafter, he picked her up on the pretext of giving her a CD of the film and took her to Brahamaputra Hostel, where he stays.<br />
<br />
She said in the complaint that he offered her a spiked drink and allegedly raped her. He also threatened her and asked her to not report the matter.<br />
<br />
(PTI)

Left-wing student organisation, All India Students' Association, which the accused was involved with, has announced his expulsion

A 28-year-old student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, a prestigious educational institute in India, has accused a student activist of raping her on Saturday (August 20). The woman, a first-year doctorate student, alleged that Anmol Ratan, who is also a JNU student, raped her in a hostel room on the university campus. Police lodged a case of rape and criminal intimidation against Ratan on Sunday (August 21). Ratan is a member of the All India Students' Association (AISA), a left-wing student organisation. AISA, meanwhile, said it has expelled Ratan from its organisation. "AISA takes serious note of the fact that Anmol Ratan, a leading activist of AISA, is facing a criminal complaint of sexual assault. He is, henceforth, expelled from the primary membership of AISA. We stand by the complainant in her fight for justice," Ashutosh Kumar, AISA Delhi State Secretary, said. The complainant told police that she had posted on her Facebook profile that she wanted to watch a movie named 'Sairat' and asked if anyone had a CD of it. Ratan apparently messaged her saying that he had a copy. Thereafter, he picked her up on the pretext of giving her a CD of the film and took her to Brahamaputra Hostel, where he stays. She said in the complaint that he offered her a spiked drink and allegedly raped her. He also threatened her and asked her to not report the matter. (PTI)

Student allegedly raped in prestigious Indian university