Reject the Chief Proctor Office Manual!
Uphold Right to Freedom of Speech in JNU!
Resist attempts by JNU VC to destroy the democratic ethos of JNU!
JNU administration, in their latest ploy to smother students’ voices, has come up with a revised Chief Proctor Office Manual (CPO Manual). This is an updated version of the draconian RULES OF DISCIPLINE AND PROPER CONDUCT OF STUDENTS OF JNU which was brought out by the JNU administration in March 2023 and then hastily withdrawn. It is utterly deplorable that the JNU administration has released this notice explaining a list of a number of ‘crimes’ that can lead to fines up to Rs. 20,000, suspension, rustication, expulsion, eviction from the hostel, cancellation of admission, and being declared out of bounds. This is a clear violation of our rights to practise freedom of speech and expression.
The JNU administration, in the recent months, has already resorted to punishing student activists, Hostel Presidents and any student raising any question on the functioning of the administration. Old cases dating back to 5 years have been opened up and students have been fined. A Person with Disability and a resident of Kaveri Hostel, Farooq Alam, was evicted from his hostel and declared out of bounds. DSF activist Swati Singh was suspended for 2 semesters and declared out of bounds. Mohammad Nazar, a PhD scholar in SMM, was denied a supervisor and therefore denied registration. 8 residents of Shipra were fine Rs. 5000 each for demanding basic rights in the hostel by the IHA, and then the CPO fined them again with Rs. 5000 each. Three women activists were also fine Rs. 10,000 each by the CPO in the same incident. Almost all the hostel Presidents have been sent enquiry notices by the CPO for protesting for the basic right of water. This administration has always been hell-bent on criminalising all kind of dissents. And this CPO Manual is the latest attempt in their long-drawn plan.
In what concerns the freedom of expression of students on campus, the student community was never consulted while deciding, designing, or ratifying this CPO Manual. It has been imposed on us without providing us with any information about it, let alone consulting us. These ‘crimes’ that the JNU administration has listed are nothing more than an elaborate description of all the ways we exercise our right and duty to act as watchdogs for the government.
Let us have a look at some of the ‘crimes’ under the CPO Manual:
III(i): “All such acts of violence and all forms of coercion such as gheraos, sit-ins or any variation of the same which disrupt the normal academic and administrative functioning of the University and/or any act which incites or leads to violence.”
This can lead to a fine upto Rs. 20,000/- and/or withdrawal of hostel facility, cancellation of admission/ withdrawal of degree, rustication, expulsion. Look at the audacity with which the JNU administration, has equated peaceful modes of protest like gheraos or sit-ins with violence and summed them up in the same epithet. It is no secret, that there is only one organisation (or band of goons) that stokes, participates in, and thrives on violence, i.e., the ABVP. And in the last eight years, the JNU Admin never showed the spinal strength to punish them for their crimes. Be they be the perpetrators of January 5, 2020, November 14, 2021, April 10, 2022, January 24, 2023, or February 19, 2023, in all the cases, it was the ABVP lumpens emboldened by the administrative impunity that assaulted the common students and left activists. But none of the culprits were ever punished by the current administration. So this act will be exclusively used to crack down on the common students participating in their movements for their democratic demands.
III(ii): “Gheraos, laying siege or staging demonstrations around the residence of any member of the University Community or any other form of coercion, intimidation or disturbance of right to privacy of the residents of the campus.”
This can lead to a fine upto Rs. 20,000/- and/or withdrawal of hostel facility, cancellation of admission/ withdrawal of degree, rustication, expulsion. It seems that this has been brought in to thwart any questions against the Hostel Wardens and the Vice Chancellor herself. With the pathetic situation of infrastructure, water supply, food quality, in all hostels, students are forced to go upto the Wardens houses to demand answers. The Wardens never sit in their offices and never visit the hostel to listen to the problems of students. Therefore, residents are forced to go to them to meet, and then are slapped with Proctorial Enquiries. In the month of September, a huge protest march happened on the issue of inadequate water supply in the hostels. The students went to the Vice Chancellor’s house to appeal to her to listen to their problems. However, the JNUSU Office Bearers and Hostel Presidents have been issued show cause notices for daring to demand the basic right of water supply! Can Madam Vice Chacellor answer where students should go if they are denied proper living conditions?
III(iii): “Damaging or defacing, in any form, any property of the University or the property of any member of the University community.”
This can lead to a fine upto Rs. 20,000/- and/or withdrawal of hostel facility, cancellation of admission/ withdrawal of degree, rustication, expulsion. Let us try to figure out which organisation has time and again defaced the JNUSU office? Which organisation has written inflammatory words like “commie pigs”, ” A good commie is a dead commie”, “hang comrades,” or “Start green hunt 2.0” on the walls of the JNUSU office? If this is not defacement, then what else is? Why have none of the ABVP miscreants been punished for this? What is stopping the JNU administration from acting?
But, as we know, with the help of this new act, the sanghi administration actually plans to quell the long-cherished poster cultures permanently. JNU was once known for its poster culture. All of the organisations used these posters to initiate conversations with new students. What could have been a better way of expressing opinions than this? This was one of the most celebrated traditions at JNU. But the sanghis definitely had a problem with this. They knew that they could not do politics in a democratic atmosphere where everybody is allowed to express their opinion freely. They knew that their politics could only thrive by silencing and bullying. It was last VC Mamidala, who tried to put an end to it. And this act of the CPO Manual is just another effort to end the democratic culture of wall posters in JNU.
II(ii): “Hunger strikes, dharnas, group bargaining and any other form of protest within 100 meter radius of any academic and administrative complexes and/or by blocking entrance or exit of any academic and administrative complexes.”
This can lead to a fine upto Rs. 20,000/- and/or hostel eviction and rustication upto 2 semesters. Over the years, generations of students have mobilised themselves to make this campus the way it is today. It is precisely because of the students’ movements that this campus is one of the most sensitive and inclusive ones in this country. And this CPO Manual exactly wants to reverse this process. and hungers strikes/ Dharnas are an indispensable part of mass movement. Then why is the JNU Administration afraid of a hunger strike? Or Dharnas? Or group bargaining? Or Protest? And why?
RSS has always abhorred mobilisation of people on their issues. For them, only religious fanaticism and polarisation are valid reasons for mobilisation in politics. No wonder they were absent from the freedom struggle! Look at the long list of people’s movements in this country after independence. You will find RSS either staying out of it, if not directly opposing it! No wonder Narendra Modi ridicules one of the biggest political mobilisations of our time as ‘Andlonajeevi’. The dastardly comments and remarks circulated through the RSS’ IT cell against the farmers’ protest on Delhi’s border are still fresh in our memory. It is the same mentality that resonates in this particular act.
I(vi): “Any act of moral turpitude”
This act says “any act of moral turpitude” can lead to fines up to Rs 10,000. Look at the lack of objectivity in defining the term “moral turpitude”. Who will decide what constitutes morality? The RSS? The Manusmriti? Patriarchal common sense? The Sanghi Administration of JNU? We have seen how suffocating, alienating, sexist, are conducted under the excuse of ‘protecting morality’. Will the RSS be deciding what comes under the purview of morality — the same organisation that runs bulldozers across the homes of poor people, people from Muslim minority community, turning them homeless, and burns down cities to conduct their own version of ‘ethnic cleansing”? If morality exists, RSS and the JNU VC, a stooge of the RSS, certainly has no expertise on the topic.
I(ix): “Printing, circulating or pasting poster/pamphlets (text or picture) carrying derogatory religious, communal, casteist or anti-national remarks.”
and
I(x): “Any activity which incites intolerance towards a religion, caste or community and/or anti-national in nature which disturbs the peaceful atmosphere in the campus.”
These can lead to fines upto Rs. 10,000/-. Will this include the anti-Muslim slogans during programs organised by the ABVP where the chant Babri to jhanki hai, kashi Mathura baki hai? Or such whatsapp messages sent by ABVP goons demonising Muslims? Will this include the anti-reservation comments by ABVP goons or regressive comments against marginalised sections of the campus? No. Because these, according to the Sanghi administration, is not punishable. However, this will be used to thwart any students protesting against mob lynching of Muslims or atrocities of Dalit, Adivasis and other marginalised sections.
Also, how does the JNU administration define ‘anti-national activities’? Is speaking for equal rights of all citizens anti-national? Because we know that is how the media and the BJP-RSS has defined ‘anti-national activities’ as a result of which people like Umar Khalid, Gulfisha, Sharjeel and so many others are in languishing in jails without trial! Are the women wrestlers who protested against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh anti-nationals? There were definitely portrayed as anti-nationals by the godi media. Even the farmers who were protesting against the Modi government were portrayed as anti-nationals. The RSS had been the betrayers of our freedom struggle against the Britishers. And these same traitors and its stooge in the form of Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, will be distributing certificates of nationalism on campus?
II(viii): “Unauthorised occupation of the hostel rooms”
This can lead to a fine upto Rs. 20,000/- and/or hostel eviction and rustication upto 2 semesters. The CPO Manual does not define ‘unauthorised occupation’! Will this include a student, who has not been allotted a hostel and residing with her or his friends? Does this include female students visiting the boys’ hostel? Does it include the MA pass-out students who are waiting for PHD admission, which got delayed because inefficiency of the JNU administration and the NTA? We have reasons to believe that this act will be used to harass common students!
III(vii): “Any other act which may be considered by the Vice-Chancellor or any other competent authority to be an act of violation of discipline and conduct.”
This can lead to a fine upto Rs. 20,000/- and/or withdrawal of hostel facility, cancellation of admission/ withdrawal of degree, rustication, expulsion. The term ‘any other act’ is open to interpretation. Demanding hostels, demanding clean water, demanding a clean campus – anything can come under this. This is not a prophecy, but this has been happening. The CPO has been slapping enquiries and fines on students for asking for basic rights in the campus.
Apart from the above “crimes”, the procedure of enquiry has been laid out violating all norms of natural justice.
- The CPO Manual has mandated that students should attend the enquiry on the first call itself, except for medical emergencies. Is a student supposed to leave their classes or exams just to run to the CPO? It is possible that a student has some other commitment such as attending a conference or certain family emergency on that date. Is the student not allowed to fulfil any other commitments and be at the beck and call of the CPO every time?
- This CPO Manual has struck down the provision of cross-examination between defendant and complainant/witness. This is one of the basic principles of natural justice. How is the CPO to decide on anything without giving both parties adequate avenues to question and cross-question?
- The CPO also mentions that a copy of the punishment against any student will be sent to the student’s parents/guardians. JNU admin must stop infantalising us! Does the JNU admin see us as little children? We are all fully grown, independently thinking, opinionated adults, and we do not need reprimands from our guardians. In the name of preserving cultural and family values, the BJP-RSS nexus is curbing the independence and autonomy of adult citizens of this country.
- It has also been written that a student with 5 or more punishments during the entire duration of the study will be expelled. This is a threat by the Sanghi administration – DO NOT SPEAK AGAINST THE RULING REGIME! The Dhulipudi administration wants submissive students who do not ask why education is being privatized, why there are no jobs, why is the ruling regime spreading hate against minorities? But we will keep speaking truth to power!
The CPO Manual empowers all security staff of JNU to take photos/videos using camera/phone as evidence to support the security report/complaint. We have seen how the security staff takes photos/videos on personal phones which have no accountability. In Shipra Hostel during a raid in the month of April 2023, we witnessed how security staff took photos/videos of women in their nightwear! Is this not a blatant violation of privacy of students residing on campus? This will embolden the security staff to take photos/videos of young men and women at any time at any place on personal phones. We know the power of AI to generate deep fake photos/videos. Who will be answerable for misuse of photos/videos of students?
The administration wants submissive compliance on our part, but this manual that criminalises protest shall be met with defiance. The JNU admin cannot snatch our constitutional rights to dissent, because this is a democracy that we live in. Over the years, we have seen the JNU administration turn into a miniature version of the police state. The proctor’s office has turned into a criminal court. For any activity a student can do, there is a fine associated with it. Lakhs of rupees in fines have been imposed on common students and activists for their participation in protest demonstrations and other activities.
The BJP-RSS nexus always goes on and on about preserving the glorious past of India. They are proud of their brahmanical, casteist, and patriarchal past, based on the Manusmriti. However, the actual glory of India’s past comes from the sacrifices made by freedom fighters during the colonial era. The law against sedition did not stop freedom fighters from chanting anti-colonial slogans, and this is the glorious legacy of India that we must not let go.
And today, we are governed by political forces that have not only abstained but compromised and betrayed the glorious freedom struggle. It is not hard to fathom, why they are so scared of popular movements. And it is only mass movements that will bring these forces to their knees. We must fight against the fascist forces in power, and defeat the authoritarian regime of control that expects subordination from the public.
We call upon the student community to reject these draconian codes of conduct by waging an fledgling movement against the current Sanghi administration.
