JNU administration files FIR against student leaders for removing hostel CCTV camera

JNUSU president Mohit Pandey and other union members had dismantled the camera at Brahmaputra hostel on Friday to protest a recently imposed “surveillance rule”.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has registered an FIR against student union members for removing a CCTV camera installed at one of its hostels.

Student leaders say university authorities bypassed democratic bodies to install CCTV cameras across the campus.(Sanjeev Verma/HT photo)

JNUSU president Mohit Pandey and other union members had dismantled the camera at Brahmaputra hostel on Friday to protest a recently imposed “surveillance rule”.

Police said an FIR was filed against Pandey, JNUSU general secretary Satrupa Chakravarty and union members Amal Pullarkkat, Dileep Yadav and Abhay under sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 427 (mischief causing damage worth Rs 50) on the basis of a complaint lodged by the university administration.

The case was registered at the Vasant Kunj (north) police station.

While the university already has CCTV cameras installed at its gate and administrative block, students did not approve of its hostels coming under electronic surveillance. JNU officials, however, said they were only doing it in adherence of a high court directive.

“The students took the camera installed at Brahmaputra hostel with them, and dismantled the wiring. They even misbehaved with workers. Such behaviour is unacceptable,” said university registrar Pramod Kumar.

Pandey, for his part, said the university management had installed the surveillance equipment without following due procedure. “This administration has made a hobby out of criminalising acts of resistance. The JNU administration bypassed every democratic body to impose CCTV cameras on us. This administration goes to the high court and talks about dialogue, but when it comes to deciding policies, it tries to push everything in an authoritative manner.”