Teachers at JNU cry VC 'violations' after axe against MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has accused the varsity of violating rules while dismissing Prof. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam — a Congress MP from Manipur — from service over complaints of sexual harassment, adding it was driven by a political agenda.

In a statement, JNUTA president Syed Akhtar Husain and secretary Avinash Kumar questioned the selective leak to the media of the report of the internal committee that probed the allegations of sexual harassment against Akoijam, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems.

“The order, signed by the vice-chancellor seemingly in haste, attempts to usurp the power of dismissal that rightfully lies with the executive council. As per Statute 30 of the JNU Act, it is not the vice-chancellor but the executive council that has the authority to dismiss a faculty member. JNUTA wants to make it clear that this unilateral decision has been taken by the vice-chancellor without the approval of the executive council,” it said.

It said the leak of the internal panel report undermined the strict confidentiality norms that such bodies were legally mandated to maintain.

“The fact that such information is circulating in the public domain without an official denial from the JNU administration strongly suggests both a breach of confidentiality and a total failure to follow the legally binding due process,” it said.

The JNUTA said such “gross procedural violations” in sexual harassment cases failed to serve the cause of justice.

“In practice, compromising procedural integrity tilts the balance against complainants and benefits the accused. The JNU administration, led by the vice-chancellor, must be held fully accountable for repeatedly undermining institutional regulations to serve vested interests,” the JNUTA said.

The statement also condemned the “nefarious tactic of leaking the dismissal order” to serve “narrow political games”.

JNU VC Santishree D. Pandit sacked Akoijam on Friday, claiming that the internal panel had established the allegations against him.