Days after students at OP Jindal University in Sonipat, Haryana hosted a controversial event where calls for the destruction of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir were made, the university’s disciplinary committee has suspended a student for the same.
Notably, in a letter dated 10th February, the University Student Disciplinary Committee (“USDC”) suspended a student named Mukundan M Nair from this year’s Spring Semester. The student was one of the leading individuals behind the event titled “Ram Mandir: A Farcical Project of Brahmanical Hindutva Fascism” held on February 7, which sparked a controversy.
The Student calling for "Destruction of Temples" at Jindal Global University has been suspended for the semester for making "anti-national" and "Hinduphobic" remarks. Hopefully it will dissuade others who seek to break our ancient Civilization with their hatred. https://t.co/I5SgV19BBm pic.twitter.com/OK5Ifpt2AZ
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) February 10, 2024
Jindal Global University Student Mukundan Nair Suspended for the semester and found guilty of provoking and inciting violence and hatred against Hindu students… pic.twitter.com/Tk3gZappQ8
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) February 10, 2024
The letter stated, “You are hereby suspended for the remainder of the Spring 2024 semester.” The members of the USDC, unanimously decided to suspend the student noting that the said student not only breached the Code of Conduct but also violated the law of the land. While the University awarded leniency stating that it was the first violation, it noted that the student’s entry to the Campus will be subjected to the then prevailing situation on the University campus, the student’s conduct during the suspension, and the fulfillment of other condition(s), as specified by the Committee.
The Committee found that the student’s actions likely violated the law of the land. It noted, “For instance, the derogatory and provocative statements made in the poster, and the event advertised in the poster, may attract legal action against you under Sections 153A, 295A, 298, and 505, read with Section 120B, of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.”
The purported letter added, “Lastly, your deliberate comments to outrage the institution of ‘Ram Mandir and ridicule the ceremony of “Pran Prathishtha may also be charged as the contempt of the Supreme Court of India… By calling for the destruction of all temples, including the Ram Mandir, directly goes against the decision of the Supreme Court of India, and may constitute the offence of contempt of court.”
The USDC concluded that the said student indeed violated the Student Code of Conduct and was involved in acts of indiscipline under Clause 28 of Section 5 of the O.P. Jindal Global University Code of Conduct for students (“Code of Conduct”).
The disciplinary actions came after the Chief Proctor’s Office (“CPO”) had taken suo moto cognisance of the incident that took place near the ‘Hangout’ area on 7th February 2024. As per the USDC, the student was allegedly involved in a serious violation of the Student Code of Conduct and was found to have been putting up posters and engaging in conversation that involved extremely derogatory and provocative words and/or phrases aimed at detrimentally affecting the integrity and tranquillity of the University space.
Subsequently, a Show-Cause Notice (“SCN”) was sent by the CPO on 9th February 2024. In a reply dated 10th February, the student contested all the allegations. However, despite being provided representation to defend, the student did not appear before the University Student Disciplinary Committee (“USDC”), which comprised Faculty and Staff Members, along with representation from the JGU Student Council.
The letter noted that the student in writing argued for only exercising the right to free speech in a democratic setup and further claimed not to be a part of any student organisation that aligns with any specific political ideology, in particular.
However, in its findings, the USDC found that the said student along with three other students put up posters across the Academic Block of the University which contained extremely problematic and provocative statements that are capable of hurting the religious sentiments of a particular section of the JGU Community. Additionally, the committee noted that the student did not seek permission from any official authority before carrying out the event advertised in the poster nor did the student get the poster vetted by the administration before making it available to be publicly seen on the campus premises.
The USDC also added that the student also went on to make derogatory and provocative statements, which are reasonably capable of hurting the religious sentiments of various JGU stakeholders. The student was also found in violation for posting the videos, shot during the advertised event, that contained the same derogatory and provocative remarks, on the Instagram handle of your political organisation, namely, Revolutionary Students League’s (“RSL”). This action clearly demonstrates a deliberate intent on your part to attract widespread viewership / outrage that further led to an unnecessary escalation of the present situation, the purported letter added.
The USDC, however, acknowledged that this was the student’s first violation of the Code of Conduct. Nonetheless, the USDC viewed the following factors as aggravating factors in this case:
1. Using the campus premises to conduct a politically motivated and religiously derogatory discussion(s) without any authorisation;
2. The derogatory and provocative statements, made by the student during the discussion, created unnecessary tension between the various stakeholders of the University, thereby disturbing the peace and tranquillity of the University campus:
3. The abject misuse of the safe and non-political academic space provided by the University to further a political discourse that is aimed at hurting be religious sentiments of the various stakeholders of the University; and
4. The student’s actions not only violated the Code of Conduct but are also likely to fall foul of the law of the land.
Accordingly, the members of the USDC unanimously decided to suspend the student. Additionally, he has also been asked to submit two undertakings – one signed by the student and the other by the student’s parents to the effect that any further breach of the Code of Conduct would render him liable for a graver punishment, including further suspension or expulsion.
The controversial event
On 7th February, the Revolutionary Students’ League (R.S.L), a frontal organisation of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) organised an event at the OP Jindal Global University titled “Ram Mandir: A Farcical Project of Brahmanical Hindutva Fascism.” At the event, the left-wing students affiliated with the organisation reportedly proposed the demolition of the Ram Mandir and the construction of a mosque in its place.
The event organizers contended that the Ram Mandir concept has come to be associated with hate crimes committed against Muslims and Dalits throughout India, in addition to a larger trend of saffronization within educational institutions.
They claimed that the January 22nd ceremony, which marked the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla at the grand mandir in Ayodhya, exposed what they described as the inherent brutality and anti-people nature of the ‘Brahmanical Hindutva fascist regime.’
In its event brochure, the Revolutionary Students’ League urged the attendees to read the contentious book “Fight Brahmanical Hindutva Fascism” by Bhima Koregaon accused Varavara Rao.
