The dean of students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Umesh Kadam, alleged that he was manhandled by members of the varsity’s students’ union during a meeting of the body on Monday, 12 March.
However, the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) refuted the dean’s claim, alleging that the students were wrongfully confined, manhandled, and prevented from leaving the dean’s office by the guards.
In a press release on Tuesday, 13 March, the JNU administration said they have filed a complaint with the police.
The members of the JNUSU had called for a protest at the office of the dean of students at 11.30 am on 12 March, during which the dean had invited representatives of the JNUSU to his office to discuss their demands.
However, before the meeting could conclude, a group of "more than 15 students agitating students barged into the DoS office and became very violent,” the press release stated.
They continuously shouted slogans, latched the door and blocked with a sofa. When the DoS tried to go out of the office for lunch, they pushed, hurled abusive language and mahandled him.Press release from JNU
We Were Locked Inside, Dean Twisting Facts: JNUSU Vice President
JNUSU vice president Simone Zoya Khan told The Quint that representatives of the students’ union had gone to meet the dean on 12 March on the formation of a committee to oversee meal and coupon pricing in the college mess, and to discuss a circular that was issued about an increase in mess bills.
He refused to take any of our recommendations into consideration. The committee in place right now was formed very arbitrarily, with two students picked at random from the college.Simone Zoya Khan, vice president, JNU Students’ Union
Simone added that after an hour of talking to the dean and after reaching a stalemate, the students tried to exit the office, but guards locked the office from inside.
The guards refused to let us leave. We kept asking the guards to let us leave, but they wouldn’t. They wrongfully confined us saying that ‘there are protests outside’ and that we would get hurt if we left. The dean wasn’t being manhandled, he was sitting quite comfortably, talking to his wife on the phone, eating his food.Simone Zoya Khan
JNUSU president Geeta Kumari told The Quint that the university authorities have pulled similar acts in the past, and some students who were confined were injured by guards when they tried to leave.
Khan added that the university should release footage of Kadam’s exit from the office as well, which reportedly proves that no students were in the dean’s office at the time of his exit, and that he was quite safe and free to leave.
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