Research scholars Anirban Bhattacharya and Umar Khalid, who have been rusticated by the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration over an event to mark the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, have reacted strongly to the decision by calling it “unacceptable”.
Mr. Bhattacharya has been awarded the strictest punishment of all. Not only has he been rusticated till July 15, but the campus will also remain out of bounds for him for the next five years. The order adds that anyone giving him shelter on campus shall also “invite disciplinary action”.
The order announcing his rustication states: “The charges on part of Mr. Bhattacharya are very serious in nature, unbecoming of a JNU student, and call for stringent punishment against him.” Reacting to the order, Mr. Bhattacharya said on Monday: “The orders are completely unacceptable. As per the University General Body Meeting mandate, we [the students] reject the punishments handed down by the administration on the basis of the findings of the farcical high-level enquiry committee. Down with the fascist witch-hunt of student activists by the administration under the diktats of Nagpur.”
The high-level enquiry committee report has found him guilty on various charges, including “addressing the group of students in a wrongfully organised event and being engaged in sloganeering”, “being part of the procession from Sabarmati ground to Ganga dhaba, during which objectionable slogans were raised” and “putting up objectionable posters for the event”.A PhD student at the Centre for Historical Studies, Mr. Bhattacharya has been given 10 days to submit his thesis, after which the campus will remain out of bounds for him.
“During the five-year period, he will not be allowed to either participate in any event on campus or pursue a course from JNU,” a senior University official said. In the case of Mr. Khalid, he has been rusticated for one semester — monsoon 2016-17. His re-admission to the University has also been made conditional.
Reacting to the order, Mr. Khalid remarked: “The JNU administration has declared its allegiance to the RSS once again. It is official now — the recommendations of the farcical high-level enquiry committee have been released today [on Monday] by the JNU administration. ”
