Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was never "anti-national," nor was it a part of the "tukde-tukde" gang, asserted the university's vice-chancellor, who stated today, Thursday, April 18, that the university will always promote dissent, debate, and democracy.

In an interview with PTI at the agency's headquarters in New Delhi, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, the university's first female Vice-Chancellor, stated that Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is also "not saffronised" and is not subjected to Central government pressure in its day-to-day operations.

Pandit, who was also a JNU alumnus, confessed that the campus was heavily polarised when she took charge as the VC, describing the period as "unfortunate".

She argued that there were mistakes from both the administration and the students and that the leadership failed to handle the situation properly.

Throughout last year, students of JNU, led by the JNU Students' Union staged a series of protests on various issues and demands, including water shortage in the university’s hostels, new rules that levy hefty fines on graffiti and protest gatherings, and the conduct of the JNUSU elections, which were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.