Majority of Students Demand VC’s Exit in JNU Referendum, Says JNUSU

As per the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU), nearly 90% of the 2,409 students who participated in a referendum voted in favour of the vice-chancellor of the university, Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit, stepping down. JNUSU stated this at a press conference held at the Press Club of India on Wednesday.

The union mentioned that the results of the referendum mirror the sentiments of the larger student community.

JNUSU carried out the referendum, A casteist and corrupt VC has no place in JNU, on Tuesday. Sixteen booths were installed at different schools on the campus. Former members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) oversaw the entire exercise, the union stated.

The referendum followed a number of protests by the JNUSU resulting from the comments made by Pandit in a podcast interview. In that interview, she is said to have made a derogatory remark about Dalits.

"The total number of students who participated in the voting was 2 409 out of which 2,181 students (90.54%) voted to not have the vice-chancellor continue. A total of 207 students (8.59%) voted in favour of her continuing as V-C and 21 votes were declared invalid,” the JNUSU said.

“The referendum clearly reflects the overwhelming sentiment of the student body. The students of JNU have delivered a decisive democratic mandate demanding accountability and the resignation of the vice-chancellor,” the union added.

The JNU administration did not comment on the matter.

Calling the referendum undemocratic, Christhu Doss, a professor at JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies, said the VC’s comments should have been examined through debate and discussion.

“I find the vice-chancellor’s remarks debatable, and given JNU’s rigorous academic and intellectual culture, it should have been discussed and debated rather than addressed through a referendum,” Doss said.