Set up panel to tell us what’s anti-national, what’s not: JNU teachers

A section of JNU teachers suggested setting up of a panel for nationalism along the lines of National Commission for Women to find out what activities are against the country.

A section of JNU teachers suggested setting up of a panel for nationalism along the lines of National Commission for Women to find out what activities are against the country.

A section of JNU teachers suggested setting up of a panel for nationalism along the lines of National Commission for Women to find out what activities are against the country. (Vipiin Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

“We suggest that a new commission be constituted to check anti-national activities of politically motivated people on the lines of the National Commission of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Minorities,” said some members of the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA)

“There should be a commission for nationalism. Such a commission can work to find out what is nationalistic and what’s not,” Mondira Dutta, a teacher at the School of International Studies.

Dutta was speaking at a press conference organised by a section of teachers, who opposed a group of JNUTA teachers’ stand on supporting students accused of raising anti-national slogans on the campus.

Teachers said they lost faith in the current JNUTA leadership and were tired of its protest to malign the university and its image. “We condemn the leadership and derecognise them for their repeated failings to take up teacher-related causes,” said Hari Ram Mishra, a teacher at the Special Center for Sanskrit Studies.

“In the last JNUTA meeting they even wanted to raise money for legal defence of students as well as to file criminal cases against members of the media,” the teachers said in a statement.

They said they condemned the anti-national sloganeering on the campus and demanded that the administration building be banned for use by demonstrating students and teachers. “All political demonstration and public drama should be shifted to an alternate space,” they said.