Condemning the recent “pandemonium” at its Academic Council meeting, the JNU Administration has called for another meeting on Friday while calling the earlier ruckus as “regrettable occurrence in the history of JNU”. The administration has requested the members and students for “prevention of similar incident in the future.”
The earlier meeting, held on May 10 was adjourned after a confrontation between students, teacher and administration over the High level Enquiry Committee (HlEC) report where the later demanded its revocation. Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar walked out and adjourned the meeting without any discussion over other agendas.
“The JNU expresses its displeasure at the way a group of teachers disrupted the Academic Council meeting on May 10, 2016 and left no option open for the chairperson but to adjourn the meeting. While forcing the chair to adopt an item as the number one item of discussion even before the minutes of the last meeting was considered for approval, those teachers resorted to shouting at the chair and pounding on the table and created a virtual pandemonium in the hall,” read a statement from JNU PRO Poonam Kudaisya.
It further stated that the demand of those teachers was met by the chair by “allowing about 55 minutes of discussion on the matter that was not even part of the original agenda.”
“It was a regrettable occurrence in the history of the university and the JNU administration appeals to all the members of the Academic Council to help ensure prevention of similar incident in the future,” Kudaisya asserted.
She further stated that “several vital student issues, among many others for which the administration intends to conduct the forthcoming adjourned meeting of the Academic Council would be on May 27.” “...In a congenial atmosphere of transparency, free discussion and exchange of views on the agenda items. Every member of the AC has the right to express his/her opinion and the Chairperson is committed to give adequate opportunity for expression of views, so that well thought-out decisions on issues can be taken in time.”