Students refuse to appear before JNU panel, teachers demand more members

New Delhi, Feb 18: JNU teachers have questioned the "scope" of the university probe panel inquiring into the raising of alleged anti-national slogans on campus and demanded that more members should be included into the high-level committee.

The members of the students council, who have been asked to appear before the committee, have also refused to participate in enquiry process citing "unjust" academic suspension of 8 students.

While the students are boycotting the classes demanding release of the JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, the teachers are divided over the disruption of classes.

"The committee which has been constituted by the university has only three members in it and all of them are from the same department. This is such a serious matter. We should have more 'democratic' composition of the panel with members from outside JNU who can probe the matter in an unbiased manner," said Bikramaditya Choudhary, Secretary, JNU Teachers Association.

"The panel should also include members from the hostel committee, equal opportunity cell and the gender sensitisation panel. We have decided that teachers will support the student agitation but perform their academic duties and submitted our demands to the Vice Chancellor," he added.

The members of JNU students council were asked to appear before the probe panel for seeking "clarifications" regarding the February 9 incident. "We feel that the composition of the committee is undemocratic. Also the academic suspension of the students on basis of the so called preliminary report is 'unjustified'," a student councillor said.

The JNU administration had instituted a "disciplinary" enquiry as to how the event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, took place despite withdrawal of permission.

The varsity's students union president is in judicial custody in a sedition case in connection with the event.

PTI