Dhananjay, former President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) for 2023-24, has lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) against JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit regarding allegedly hateful statements made on a public platform. The complaint asserts that the Vice Chancellor’s remarks fostered feelings of enmity, hatred, and ill will towards the Dalit community.
The complaint contends that these remarks violate the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which was enacted to prevent atrocities and hate crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Act criminalises acts that insult, humiliate, or engender social hostility against these communities and includes provisions for immediate investigation and legal recourse to protect their rights and dignity.
The petition seeks the NCSC’s immediate intervention for the registration of a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the initiation of an investigation by an independent committee, and disciplinary and legal action against the Vice Chancellor, including her removal from office. The complainant stressed that the Vice Chancellor has not issued an apology, reinforcing the view that the remarks were intentional and designed to encourage discrimination.
On Sunday, Vice Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit defended her comments concerning Dalits and Blacks, stating that her remarks were taken out of context and misrepresented for “political purposes” by certain groups. Her statement followed protests by student organisations, including the JNUSU, demanding her resignation over comments made during a podcast published on February 16.
In a written statement shared with ANI, the Vice Chancellor noted that “a large number of faculty” members expressed their “unwavering support” for her, accusing the JNUSU and the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) of undermining deliberative discourse on campus through selective framing.
The controversy arose from Pandit’s remarks on the podcast while discussing the University Grants Commission’s proposed 2026 Equity (Anti-Discrimination) Regulations aimed at addressing caste-based discrimination in higher education. A clip circulating online records her stating that Dalits and Blacks “cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card,” which sparked strong reactions from student groups.
Courtesy : The News Mill
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