A section of teachers and officer-bearers of Jamia Millia Islamia University have opened a front against the alleged 'authoritarian regime' of its Vice-Chancellor Najeeb Jung. Having being suspended from the university over alleged irregularities, they have levelled a series of allegations against the V-C accusing him of making illegal appointments and arbitrary suspensions, among several other charges of acting in violation of rules.
The suspended teachers have also accused him of misusing funds besides creating an 'anti-academic' atmosphere in the university.
“The Vice-Chancellor has been acting in violation of the Jamia Millia Islamia Act 1988, by making illegal appointments, arbitrary suspensions, appointments and punitive punishment, misuse of funds, undue harassment and intemperate use of language that has led to an anti- academic atmosphere,” they alleged.
The suspended teachers, under the banner of Jamia Employees Forum, said the Executive Council of the University lacked independent powers as most of its members have been appointed on ad-hoc basis. This, according to them, empowered the Vice-Chancellor to take the final decision which was in violation of the Act.
“Often the experts in various selection committees are not chosen from the list of experts approved by the Academic Council. Professor Arun Kumar of JNU, an expert in the selection committee, wrote a strongly-worded letter to VC Najeeb Jung about the biased attitude of the Jamia administration against Professor Haleema Rizvi, Head of the Economics Department. Further, the administration promoted a faculty member to the post of professor who was not even eligible for readership,” they alleged in a written representation to the Union HRD Ministry.
“The VC is running the university with highhandedness, unleashing a reign of rustication, suspension and termination of university teachers, non-teaching staff and students. Most of the actions taken against them lack any reasoning and have been executed without adhering to the principles of natural justice.
“The university has an atmosphere where teachers and other staff have constant fear of humiliation. This has resulted in the resignations of many teachers,” the letter to the Ministry said. The forum has also sought intervention of the HRD Ministry in the matter pertaining to suspension of teachers. It has asked the Ministry to seek an explanation over the disciplinary actions taken against the non-teaching staff and students.
It has also requested the Ministry to restrain the incumbent VC and the Executive Council from functioning till a transparent inquiry is set up into its working.
Ever since Jung took over as Jamia VC in September 2009, 29 people from the institution - both teaching and non-teaching staff - have been suspended. Such coercive steps, they alleged, also forced 16 others to resign from their posts. However, some of the suspensions have been revoked after holding enquiries, while some others have been removed from service.
Among those who resigned from the university is Professor Radha Kumar, a prominent figure, who was assigned as one of the interlocutors for Kashmir in 2010 by the Government. Kumar resigned from the post of professor at Nelson Mandela for Peace and Conflict Studies in June 2010.
“We have not received support from the University to expand. Our faculty remains tiny and we have little administrative support. Our academic autonomy has been curtailed. Our partnership with the Delhi Policy Group and the UN Institute for Training and Research has been dishonored. We have been demoted from being part of the Social Science faculty to being under an institute,” Kumar said in her resignation letter.
Anwar Alam, who was the Director of West Asian Studies said: “I was suspended in April 2012 on the grounds of a complaint by one of the faculty members. It was alleged that I conducted examination for an M.Phil student without a formal meeting with the faculty members, which was opposed by me. The VC called me informally and asked me to resign suggesting that I would otherwise be thrown out of the institution as per his orders. The whole process was flawed as the call from the VC himself is doubtful.
“Finally, last month they sent me a notice of my termination on the so called 'proved' charges of that examination.”
Anwar was appointed in JMI through a special request to join the institution. He was earlier serving as the Associate Professor of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University from 1999 to 2007.
Similarly, Haris-ul-Haq, a Physical Education teacher of Jamia Middle School, who is currently under suspension for 'misbehavior with the head', has filed a petition in the High Court against the management for converting the post of Hindi lecturer into sports officer and also to stop any fresh enquiries in his suspension.
The members of Jamia Teachers Association are hesitant to speak openly on these issues but its president Professor MS Bhat of the Economics Department said that the problem is larger than that revolving round the VC.
“The university is not functioning according to the vision a central university should have. We need to revisit the Jamia Act 1988, as there are procedures for making appointments that are frequently being flouted,” Bhat said adding there was nothing remarkable happening in the university.