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Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit has advised students against compromising their studies for politics amid recent controversies over stringent measures against campus protests.
Pandit emphasised that while protests are allowed, students should not jeopardise their academic commitments, reported news agency PTI.
She pointed out that engaging in politics might lead students to seek extensions, impacting their job profiles.
“Nobody’s saying don’t, do protest, but at the same time, your academics should not be compromised. Many of these students who engage in politics later come to me seeking extensions which will reflect in their profile when they go for a job,” she told PTI in an interview.
Pandit, who assumed the Vice Chancellor role in 2022, mentioned withdrawing proctorial enquiries against students involved in the 2019 fee hike protest to safeguard their career prospects.
She stressed the need for students to express their freedoms responsibly. The administration released a revised Chief Proctor Office (CPO) manual penalising certain actions on campus. The manual includes fines for protesting in prohibited areas and raising anti-national slogans.
As per the revised CPO manual released in November 2023, a fine of up to Rs 20,000 can be imposed for protesting in prohibited areas on campus and Rs 10,000 for raising anti-national slogans.
“We have not increased the slabs for fines in the (revised) CPO manual. Most of the fines mentioned in the manual are for incidents such as obstructing varsity officials from performing their duties or manhandling them or for drinking (alcohol) or for overspeeding on the campus,” she said on the criticism received against the manual.
She mentioned a reduction in unlawful activities during her tenure and explained that some proctorial enquiries can’t be reversed due to ongoing legal processes.
(With PTI inputs)
