Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday said that one of the reading rooms of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library has been shut due to “safety and security hazards”.
The statement from the university comes following protests by the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) against the closure of the reading room.
In a statement, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said: “The decision was taken on the basis of the information that this room has only one door for entry and exit, which is very narrow and no more than one person can enter or exit at a time.”
“When this room was temporarily closed due to safety concerns to the library users, some students began a misinformation campaign stating that the university has withdrawn the reading room facility to the students, which is a blatant lie,” read the statement.
The JNU administration said that the Executive Council’s decision to close the reading room is not because of a budget cut.
“It is reiterated that no decision has been taken to curtail the annual budget of the library. This is to emphasise that closing of one room is only a temporary measure and all other facilities, including reading rooms, are available for use by students and research scholars. The JNU administration has taken the step keeping in mind the utmost need to provide safety and security to the users,” said Mr. Kumar.
The JNUSU, however, stated: “JNUSU warns the administration to mend its ways as students will not allow fascist ideology to take over our library and destroy our learning process.”
