113 JNU professors have written a note that was released in a press conference on Thursday, 21st November 2019, disassociating themselves from the JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) over their complicity and silence when teachers are attacked by miscreants and JNU goons.
One Professor Aswini Mohapatra took to Twitter to say that the 113 teachers believe that JNUTA is the root cause of the current deadlock. Controlled by the Left-wing coterie, it has turned JNU into a hotbed of Azadi brigade.
We, total of 113, concerned teachers of JNU decided today to dissociate ourselves from the JNU Teachers’ Association. We believe that JNUTA is the root cause of current deadlock. Controlled by left-wing coterie, it has turned JNU into a hotbed of Azadi brigade. #SaveJNU
— Aswini Mohapatra (@AswiniJNU) November 21, 2019
The press note released by the 113 teachers says that they disassociate themselves from JNUTA and all press releases and statements made by the association.
The letter says that while JNUTA is by the teachers and for the teachers, controlled by its current bearers and coterie, it has refused to condemn the attack, confinement and intimidation of the teachers and their families since October 28th 2019 in the most brazen manner. The letter says that Wardens have been attacked, their homes attacked and even their children lifted momentarily as a coercive measure.
The letter says that the Associate Dean was confined, abused and attacked for 30 hours and the Dean attacked. In fact, the ambulance in which the Dean was being taken for medical care was also stopped even though the Dean’s health was deteriorating alarmingly.
The letter goes on to make a serious charge. It says that when the Associate Dean was violently confined in SIS-II building, JNUTA said that they will speak to the students and ensure the professor is freed. However, the JNUTA instigated the students further and even told them that they would support the students at the very scene of her confinement.
“The indifference of the office bearers of JNUTA to a series of such dastardly attacks on teachers is shocking and deplorable. Even more deplorable is their sly justification of these incidents on flimsy grounds. Evidently, they are hand in glove with the miscreants in attacking, abusing, confining and intimidating their own colleagues”, the letter read.
Apart from this letter, Professor Hiraman Tiwari who OpIndia spoke to, has also written a private letter to JNUTA disassociating himself with the organisation.
“I am writing you with great pain to inform you this evening that I no longer have any faith in your leadership, indeed in your ways of conducting the teachers’ body in JNU of which I have been a member for the past two decades. I have watched over the years how you and your predecessors have reduced this body to an extension counter of students trade union activities”, the letter of Professor Tiwari said.
He then expresses shock over JNUTA’s conduct in the incident where a female professor was confined by students. He further writes, “I hope you have seen the visuals of how she was pushed and shoved around the room, roughed up and assaulted with filthy slurs by the agitating students. Alas, one heard not a single syllable of condemnation from you, from the JNUTA. On the other hand, one read in one of your recent statements that you fully support the agitation and struggle by the students going on these days. I can find no other words to describe this attitude of yours but “hypocrisy” and heartlessness. There are many instances one can recount from the past, but I shall not bore you any further here and say only this that I hereby tender my resignation as a member of JNUTA. I shall dutifully inform the Salary Branch to stop my JNUTA monthly membership fee from this month”.
The “students” of JNU have been protesting against the marginal hostel fee hike in JNU. Even after the partial rollback, the students were not satisfied and called the roll-back only ‘cosmetic‘. The students have clashed with the police and even heckled reporters in their ongoing protests. The JNU campus was mercilessly defaced by these goons.
