JNUTA writes to Dharmendra Pradhan demanding VC’s ouster over remarks dismissing caste discrimination

JNUTA questions education ministry's silence over VC Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit's remarks on caste, police action against protesting students. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) has written an open letter to union minister for education Dharmendra Pradhan demanding removal of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit after her podcast remarks describing caste discrimination as 'manufactured reality' triggered backlash across the university.

The JNU teachers' body also demanded in the letter that the education ministry clarify if the government endorses the VC's view, or is just looking the other way. JNUTA said Pandit's comments, which have since drawn wide public attention, are fundamentally at odds with the values of social justice and equality that JNU has historically stood for. It also flagged that in the same podcast, the VC acknowledged a political alignment with the current government and linked her appointment to that association.

JNUTA argued that this has created an impression that the government may share or tolerate the views expressed by the VC, making it necessary for the ministry to publicly clarify its position. The teachers further criticised what they termed a contrasting response by authorities to student protests. According to the teacher's body, when students attempted to march towards the ministry to raise concerns about the remarks, police intervened to stop the demonstration and later initiated legal action against some students.

The letter said this response stood in 'sharp contrast to the extreme reluctance to say anything to the JNU VC or to take any action against her.' The teachers said the controversy is not an isolated incident and pointed out that it had previously written to the visitor of the university on multiple occasions seeking Pandit's removal. In earlier representations, JNUTA had raised concerns about alleged administrative issues within the university, including what it described as the misuse of the 'None Found Suitable' (NFS) provision in faculty recruitment and discriminatory practices affecting promotions and representation of marginalised groups.

The letter also referred to the recently notified UGC Equity Regulations 2026, which aim to promote equity in higher education institutions. JNUTA noted that while it has its own reservations about certain aspects of the regulations, it strongly disagrees with the VC's criticism of the framework and the manner in which she described the issue of caste discrimination. Calling the remarks 'disgusting' and unacceptable for the head of a major public university, the teachers' body said they undermine the institutional ethos of JNU, which it described as a space historically marked by 'a synergy of academic excellence and social equity.'

JNUTA urged the education ministry to respond to the controversy and take necessary action against the VC. The teachers' body also demanded that the ministry clarify its position on the VC's views and take steps to ensure that the university upholds its values of social justice and equality.