17, Feb 2016

JNU faculty divided over boycott of classes
Feb 17, 2016 – SHASHI BHUSHAN |
• New Delhi

Jawaharlal Nehru University’s ongoing protest against the arrest of students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar has not only divided political parties, but also caused a rift among some 700 JNU faculty members.
One group of teachers, led by the JNU Teachers’ Association president, is siding with the students opposing the arrest of the students’ union president, and the other group is advocating that the faculty wait for law to take its course and has threatened that if their voices are not heard in JNUTA, they will form another teachers’ union.
A section of JNUTA-affiliated teachers joined the JNU students in boycotting classes in protest against arrest of Mr Kumar and said they would take classes on nationalism in the university lawns. However, the other section of the teachers condemned the disruption of academic functioning in the university.
JNU faculty member Rohith Azad, who was among those attacked in Patiala House court on Monday, said, “The administration is not only acting against the students, but also the teachers and we are being openly attacked while the vice-chancellor stays mum over it. The entire world is now referring to JNU as a hub of anti-nationals on basis of propaganda of a few people in power. It is time we teach our students what nationalism