Deans of 5 JNU schools say they weren’t given details of panel’s report

Deans of five JNU schools refuted claims that they knew about the charges and punishment recommended against students, who are facing sedition charges.

Deans of five JNU schools refuted claims that they knew about the charges and punishment recommended against students, who are facing sedition charges.

Students and Teachers Demonstrators shout slogans as they hold placards during a protest demanding the release of Kanhaiya Kumar, a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student union leader accused of sedition and support of Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya who are facing charges of sedition in New Delhi. (Hindustan Times)

JNU had constituted an inquiry panel to look into the charges against students who were involved in a February 9 event where alleged anti-national slogans were shouted on campus. In a statement on Monday, the university said the Dean’s committee had been apprised of the summary of the panel’s report.

Deans of schools of arts & aesthetics, international studies, physical sciences, social sciences and language, literature & culture studies have written an email to vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar. They said they were also not told about the evidence on which the recommendations were based.

One of the deans, requesting anonymity, said though it is not mandatory but the committee is usually informed about such decisions to have a “broader consultation”.

He said that they were only given a brief summary of the report, which only said that the students violated university rules.

“We request that a clarification should be issued to say that the Dean’s committee was not informed about offenders, charges and recommended punishment,” the email read.