Jawaharlal Nehru University witnessed one of its largest mobilisations in recent months as hundreds of students marched across campus late Sunday night, demanding the resignation of Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit. The protest was triggered by her remarks in a recent podcast interview where she described the UGC’s new equity regulations as “irrational” and “woke” as well as the rustication of elected JNUSU office bearers.
Campus march and escalation
According to The Indian Express, the march began at Sabarmati T Point and moved toward the East Gate near the VC’s residence, where student leaders addressed a swelling crowd. Protesters described the turnout as representing “the whole of JNU” and framed it as a stand against both alleged casteist remarks and administrative action against student representatives.
Nitish Kumar, a former JNUSU president who was rusticated last year for protesting the installation of a facial recognition system in the Central Library, said the VC’s comments had no place in a university like JNU. He announced plans to extend the protest toward multiple academic centres, including the Schools of Social Sciences, Language, International Studies, Arts and Aesthetics, and the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, with calls for a temporary “lockdown” of these spaces.
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The controversial remarks
The protest follows a JNUSU statement demanding Pandit’s resignation over what it termed “blatantly casteist statements” made during a 52-minute podcast with The Sunday Guardian, published on February 16.
In the interview, Pandit criticised the University Grants Commission’s new equity regulations, calling them “unnecessary", "irrational", and an example of "wokeism". She said, “You cannot progress by permanently being a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for the Blacks; the same thing was brought for Dalits here.”
The student union argued that such comments reflected systemic injustice and caste supremacy, announcing a “national protest day” to press for her resignation. The UGC’s equity regulations had been stayed by the Supreme Court last month.
VC’s clarification and defence
Responding to the backlash, Pandit told PTI that her remarks had been taken out of context and rejected allegations of casteism. “I am a Bahujan myself; I come from an OBC background,” she said, adding that her comments were directed at what she described as “wokes” shaping historical narratives.
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On the rustication of five student leaders for allegedly vandalising surveillance equipment at the Ambedkar Library, Pandit defended the administration’s actions. She said the students had damaged public property and were charged under what she described as a stringent law. According to her, the university had exercised restraint by debarring them for two semesters and imposing a ₹20,000 fine. “It is taxpayers’ money. I am answerable… to Parliament and to the people of India,” she said.
The episode has once again placed JNU at the centre of a national debate, where questions of caste, dissent, administrative authority and student politics intersect.
