Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which has been the centre of protests since the beginning of this year, saw a new agitation on Friday — this time over its iconic Ganga Dhaba.
Scores of JNU students have fond memories of sipping chai at the eatery till the wee hours of the morning having discussions, debates or just a chat while killing late-night hunger pangs.
Eviction notice
So, when the person running the famous dhaba received an eviction notice from the Estate Officer calling him an unauthorised occupant, and that an eviction committee would begin the process at 11 a.m on Friday, it triggered an emotional response from students and the alumni.
Scores of students, led by the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU), reached the dhaba at noon to protest its closure.
They alleged that the move was an attempt to “shrink” the democratic space on campus and put an end to the “ dhaba culture” that promoted free thought and expression.
“The new JNU administration has been proving itself as an agent, who is appointed to destroy the JNU in every manner. It has left no single instance to take the opportunity to implement all its diktats to shrink the campus democracy. It has been using the February 9 incident as a pretext to justify all its decisions,” JNUSU general secretary Rama Naga said.
‘Dhaba is not being closed’
Quickly reacting to the protest, the university administration said that the Ganga Dhaba is considered a JNU heritage and that it was not being closed.
They explained that the present occupant was illegally occupying the premises as the original owner had died and had been asked to vacate the place so that a tendering procedure may be initiated at the earliest to run the Ganga Dhaba.
However, students are afraid that the dhaba may meet the same fate as that of a photocopy shop in the vicinity that was also shut down for the same reason. No tendering process has been initiated and the shop remains shut.
The students also alleged that since the dhaba opens its shutters at 4 p.m. and offers service till the wee hours, the JNU administration was trying to crack down on the late night debates.
“They expect students to have dinner before 9 p.m. and stay in the hostels after that. The closing of the dhaba is an attempt to stop the tradition of having debates after dinner. Ganga Dhaba is an iconic space to conduct such debates,” said a JNUSU member.
At the protest, the students said the move was keeping with the recent policy of the JNU administration of denying permissions for public meetings, asking private security guards to film meetings and install CCTV cameras across the campus.
The dhaba is a hotspot for students to get a cup of tea and engage in some lively discussions
