The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Friday termed Vice Chancellor Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s comments purportedly made during a recent podcast as “blatantly casteist” and demanded her resignation, even as she refuted the allegation and said her remarks were taken out of context.
Demanding a public apology, the JNUSU has called for a nationwide protest on Sunday.
The controversy stems from the podcast released on February 16 in which the V-C spoke about various issues, including the ongoing row over JNUSU office-bearers’ rustication over a protest against surveillance in the library, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) equity regulations, which were stayed by the Supreme Court last month.
In the podcast, the V-C could be heard purportedly saying, “You cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for the Blacks; the same thing was brought for Dalits here. By making somebody a devil, it is not easy to progress. It is a temporary type of drug [sic]”. She also said that imaginary worlds are created in the name of “wokeism”.
In a statement, the students’ union said: “The JNUSU condemns the blatantly casteist statements made by the V-C of a premier public university.”
