E-Paper
Concerned about situation, say other JNU professors emeritus
New Delhi
New Delhi
A day after economist Amit Bhaduri resigned as the emeritus professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as a mark of protest against the recent incidents of violence on campus, other professors emeritus expressed concerns on the situation.
Talking about the January 5 violence in JNU, which left 35 injured, professor emerita Zoya Hasan, who teaches at the School of Social Sciences, said the attack was unprecedented. “The January 5 violence was unprecedented and was clearly orchestrated by Right-wing elements with generous help from the administration,” she said.
Drawing parallels between the December 15 violence in Jamia Millia Islamia and the JNU violence earlier this month, she said, “In one university, police entered campus uninvited and attacked students. Here, goons enter campus in police presence and are not stopped. These actions suggest an official discomfort with public education and will lead to the destruction of public universities.”
“The administration has to take some responsibility. Now it looks like the impasse will only be broken if there is a change at the top,” she said.
Several other professors too condemned the violence and said the administration had to hold dialogue with the students. “The whole incident is unfortunate and depressing. I have seen the students agitation during the 1970s and the 1980s and can only say that if you view students as your enemy, things cannot be managed. Both students and authorities are now thinking in terms of “we” and “they” because of the huge trust deficit. That has to be bridged,” said Ramprasad Sengupta, emeritus professor of Economics at JNU.
In his letter to the vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, Bhaduri held the V-C responsible for his “handling of situation” and “intellectual disintegration” of the varsity. He said it was “immoral” on his part to “remain a silent observer in this larger, sinister scheme of throttling dissent, which is unfolding now at the university.”
Responding to the letter, Kumar on Monday had said, “I have not yet seen such a letter. We appreciate the contributions made by our emeritus professors, which is an honorary position. However, I would not like to comment on the merits of their decision. Our best wishes always remain with them.”
Professor emeritus R Rajaraman, who teaches at the School of Physical Sciences, said he too was concerned about the ongoing crisis. “I respect my friend Bhaduri’s decision because that is his situation. Mine is a little different, because I go there everyday and interact with colleagues and students. In the current situation, I think it becomes even more important to keep going to the campus.”
Rajaraman was outside the varsity on January 5 when masked assailants entered the campus and attacked students and teachers. “It was a Sunday so I wasn’t in the university. When I came to know, I watched it all from Munirka nearby. I was very disturbed like anybody else. It is a very serious matter,” he said.
