Amid the ongoing protest and counter-protest over the February 9 event on the JNU campus, where some alleged anti-national slogans were raised, the JNU teachers’ union (JNUTA) president Ajay Patnaik spoke at length with The Pioneer’s Rahiba R Parveen on the issue. The excerpts:
Were you aware about the event on Parliament Attack convict Afzal GuruIJ
* We did not even know that some event was there. I got to know from the media and suddenly our students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested. There was a lot of panic and who organised it was not clear. Amid this, police were sent and charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy were slapped on the students. The sentiment erupted. This could have been handled in a better way by the administration.
What turned the event into a controversyIJ
* It became a major incident because of sloganeering but that was by a fringe group. No one supports such slogans in the university. We condemned anti-India slogans.
How did the students and teachers’ union of the university react to itIJ What stirred the emotionsIJ
* Since there was quick police involvement and arrest of Kanhaiya, it appeared to be an attack on the autonomy of the varsity. The issue of FTII and the suicide of the Dalit student from Hyderabad University was at its peak, so people took it as a direct attack on the university’s autonomy. There should have been an internal enquiry first which did not happen and made things worse.
Why do you think soIJ
* Many people were saying JNU is anti-national due to the way the entire issue was handled. It was brought in the public in such a way that it branded the university for something that holds no ground. Everyone fears the attack should not be on the university’s autonomy. The interference from police and Government indicates it as such.
You had demanded expansion of the high-level enquiry committee and two more faculty members have been added. What are your issues with the present enquiry committeeIJ
* We felt there must be representation from all sides. JNU is always concerned about gender equality and equality of all communities. We did not have problem with the members of the enquiry committee. They are our colleagues and we respect them. All we wanted was representation from non-Science school, SC/ST community and a woman. Even though they added two more faculty members, they are yet to add a member from SC/ST community.
Will you accept the final report of the high-level committeeIJ
* It will depend on how much credible the panel would be finally. We would expect a member of SC/ST committee to be on the panel too.
What made JNUTA go against the administrationIJ
* The statements issued from the Registrar were inappropriate. We felt those statements should not have been made while an enquiry going. That’s why we demanded his resignation.
What do you have to say about JNU being branded as anti-nationalIJ
* JNU has never been anti-national. The branding has started because of attack on left groups. Also, the Government is only listening to the ABVP and not other groups, including the left on the campus. They should know which left groups holds an extremist ideology and which does not.
Some ex-servicemen have talked about installing a tank in JNU. What do you have to say to thatIJ
* The tanks and artillery should be used in the front for the security of the country and not in the educational institutions. Here libraries and books are needed. If someone takes a wrong path, showing him a tank cannot bring one back on the right path but listening and discussing can make changes. We conduct elections and debates.
You are organising open lectures. Why has nationalism become an issueIJ
* Today, one type of nationalism has become the dominant narrative of cultural majoritarianism because it suits one political ideological narrative. There is many kinds of nationalism because there is close unity and caste in India. There is inclusive nationalism to take along all the communities. There is economic nationalism where a country should not be subjugated to one global power.
