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The high-level inquiry committee (by the JNU administration) is casteist. We don’t believe the committee nor the penalties imposed, which is why we will burn the report—Kanhaiya Kumar
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar on Tuesday called the panel that fined him in connection with a controversial event on campus as castiest.
He said he would burn the report that recommended action against him and 16 other students, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya. The duo and Kanhaiya had been arrested on charges of sedition following the February 9 JNU event, in which they were alleged to have raised anti-national slogans. They have been out on bail since last month.
“The high-level inquiry committee (by the JNU administration) is casteist. We don’t believe the committee nor the penalties imposed, which is why we will burn the report,” Kumar was quoted as saying in a report.
“The people targeted aren’t being given a chance to express their stand.
“Since this is subjudice, what is the hurry? Also the committee report said outsiders raised slogans, then why punish the insiders? (JNU) VC (vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar) was on leave and on his return, the first thing he did was this. He is not addressing hostel issues, OBC reservation, deprivation point. This administration is running from phone calls coming from outside.”
JNU on Monday fined Kumar Rs 10,000 and rusticated Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya for a semester. The action against the students came after the high-level inquiry committee found merit in the allegations that they raised anti-national slogans during the February 29 event.
According to a report, JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid Shora said: “We have decided that none of the students will pay the fine or vacate their hostels. We demand that the university administration withdraw these orders as we have maintained right from the beginning that we do not have faith in this inquiry panel and it should be reconstituted.”
“We will begin an indefinite hunger strike from tomorrow (Wednesday) after staging a protest march from the university’s Ganga dhaba to administration block. The decision has been well-timed by the university officials to avoid any protests as summer break is about to begin but we will not bow down and continue our fight.”
On Monday, Khalid and Bhattacharya dismissed the panel's report to rusticate them as “unacceptable” and termed it a “farce”.
“JNUSU rejects the punishment handed down by the administration on the basis of a farcical committee!” Kanhaiya had tweeted.
