JNU gets minorities panel's notice after professor alleges harassment

The Jawaharlal Nehru University was issued a notice by the Delhi Minorities Commission after a professor complained that she was being harassed due to her Muslim identity, an allegation denied by the varsity authorities.

The notice and an interim order were issued to the varsity's Registrar over the complaint which alleged "systematic harassment" by the JNU administration, especially by the Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy where the complainant is a teacher under a University Grants Commission-funded scheme, the DMC said.

The professor has alleged that this was happening with the connivance of the JNU Vice-Chancellor, it said.

The notice said the professor has complained with ample proofs that her salary has been stopped since April for no legal reason and she is not assigned classes or opportunity to supervise MPhil and PhD students. She is also not allowed to attend the Centre faculty meetings and is denied even the use of the official Internet and official email ID.

"Not content with all this, the JNU administration is pressurising her to vacate her accommodation on the campus. Before joining JNU in 2013, the complainant served Hyderabad Central University for four years as a permanent faculty member," the notice said.

The complainant has alleged that all this was happening due to her Muslim identity, with a plan to finally "kick her out" claiming that she does no work, the notice said.

However, a varsity official said, "She is in the university as part of a planned project by UGC and is not a permanent employee. Her salary is issued by the UGC and not by the varsity. The UGC had not released the salary but now they have released it and she has been paid."