NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Wednesday claimed that an overwhelming majority of students voted in favour of removing the university’s vice chancellor in a referendum conducted across various schools on the campus.
According to the union, a total of 2,409 students participated in the referendum held on March 10 to decide whether the vice chancellor, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, should continue in office. Of these, 2,181 students, around 90.54 per cent, voted against her continuation, while 207 students (8.59 per cent) supported her remaining in the position. Twenty-one votes were declared invalid.
The referendum was organised by JNUSU after weeks of protests on campus over alleged administrative corruption and remarks attributed to the vice chancellor that student groups described as casteist. The protests intensified over the past month, beginning with a strike and later expanding into lockdowns across several schools of Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Student leaders said the agitation was driven by decisions taken in School General Body Meetings and supported by councillors, School Faculty Committees and several student organisations. The demonstrations also included a march to the Ministry of Education, where students demanded the implementation of UGC regulations, increased funding for the university and the resignation of the vice chancellor.
During the protest, more than 50 students were detained by police and 14 were arrested and sent to Tihar Jail for three days before being released on bail. JNUSU said the referendum was conducted to “democratically ascertain” the opinion of the student community regarding the vice chancellor’s continuation in office.
