JNU Chief Proctor AP Dimri, responsible for the inquiry into cases of indiscipline and unrest in the campus resigned on Tuesday, citing differences with the administration. Professor Dimri was also heading inquiries into the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed.
It is being suggested that Dimri had several differences with the administration over tackling the issue of the missing student and the suspension of the nine students for allegedly disrupting the academic council meeting.
It is imperative to note that Dimri had also issued show cause notices to ABVP members for assaulting Najeeb before his disappearance.
Ever since the resignation, General Secretary of JNUSU Satarupa Chakraborty took to social media to condemn the occurrence. She reminded that the committee formed after the confinement of the Vice Chancellor didn’t have the chief proctor in it. She also alleged that the report of the Chief Proctor was changed by the Vice Chancellor to award the “goons” with a new hostel.
This happens to be the second case of resignation by a Chief Proctor in the tenure of Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar. AP Dimri replaced Krishna Kumar who had resigned post the controversial February 9 incident, in March 2016. University officials have confirmed Vibha Tandon, a professor at the Special Centre for Molecular medicine as the new Chief Proctor.
Differences between students and administration are not new to central universities. However, JNU’s remarks about the VC saffronising the campus makes sense when he tries to curb every scope of dissent and expression in the campus. Occurrences like these perhaps have put severe questions on the functioning of the JNU administration, especially the Vice Chancellor. It remains to be seen if the culture of dissent and debate that JNU is popular for shall be revoked or will the varsity be able to overcome the threat soon.
