JNU: An urgent need for reconciliation

As the new VC, professor Pandit’s new term will have to deal with the memories of what has been an extremely turbulent phase in JNU

The government of India has finally appointed a new vice chancellor (VC) for Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is not just the first woman VC of the university, she is also the first JNU student to become the head of what is one of India’s best institutions of higher learning.

File photo of JNU administrative building.

Appointment of VCs is a regular process. But as the new VC, professor Pandit’s new term will have to deal with the memories of what has been an extremely turbulent phase in JNU. It has seen continuous conflict between students, teachers and the administration since February 2016. Not only has this led to a many of the university’s decisions being challenged in courts, but also large-scale protests, prolonged strikes, even violence in the university. This phase also saw reprehensible attempts to vilify all JNU students and teachers as “anti-national”. To say that all this has had an adverse effect on normal academic activities is an understatement. This constant state of conflict must end if the university has to survive. The new VC must provide a healing touch to the beleaguered university.

It is futile to expect that academics, especially social scientists, will remain politically neutral. Their academic work often involves taking partisan positions. VCs are almost always political appointees. However, this does not necessarily mean confrontations are inevitable. Accommodating difference of opinions and allowing for democratic dissent while shunning anarchy has been a hallmark of JNU. As someone who has also been a student of the university, Professor Pandit is best placed to start the much needed reconciliation process in JNU.