The members of the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle at University of Madras went on a protest on Wednesday afternoon against the appointment of JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar Mamidala to the Search Committee to identify their new VC. Several students and faculty members have raised questions over the appointment of the controversial VC to the panel.
On Wednesday, the students marched from their library to the main gate, spoke on why they did not want the VC to be on the search committee and then burnt his pictures in protest. "We don't think the administration will speak to us or engage with us on this issue. But maybe the syndicate will meet and hopefully we can spread the word more. We are also running a signature campaign," a student said.
The APSC released a statement on Tuesday, condemning the move to put the VC on the panel who they believe is "RSS-affiliated". The VC has been in the limelight over the last few years as JNU students have frequently protested against him, accusing him of implementing 'anti-student' policies, not following the reservation policy properly, attempting to 'privatise' education and most recently, for the recent violence on campus. He was especially criticised for not meeting the students who had been injured in the mob attack. The Students' Union and the Teachers' Union have also demanded the VC's resignation on various occasions.
Citing these reasons, the APSC students called for a protest and demanded that Mamidala be removed from the search panel. The APSC members say they fear the saffronisation of the campus, "We are worried we will get an RSS-affiliated VC and we will lose our democracy. Already we don't have a Students' body here and we will lose whatever remaining rights we have. The University will also close doors to students who come from socially and economically backward backgrounds just like how the reservation policy was violated in JNU," students say.
