JNU dismisses discrimination report against teachers, students of SC and ST category

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Saturday strongly refuted some media reports claiming that there is discrimination against students and teachers belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category in the varsity.

"The JNU Administration strongly refutes some media reports that there is discrimination against members of the JNU community belonging to SC and ST category. Such allegations have no evidence and are clearly made to vilify an institution that has always stood for all marginalised section of the society," said JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar in a statement.

This comes in response to media reports claiming that a delegation of JNU faculty members from the SC and ST communities has accused the university administration of discrimination against teachers and students from these underprivileged sections.

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The delegation also requested Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan to take up the matter with the government.

The administration said that the JNU's admission policy and practice have successfully given every opportunity and relaxation to SC and ST students while seeking to fill up the vacant seats.

"All SC and ST candidates who qualify in the written examination in the entrance test are called for viva voce without shortlisting. In the hostel allotment every year, the first step has invariably been to allot rooms to SC and ST students," Kumar said.

Stating that SC and ST posts have been filled up in the non-teaching staff category, the Registrar said:, "Full-speed efforts are being made by the administration to fill up the vacant teaching posts."

"The university also started a special drive to fulfill the backlogs in SC/ST teaching positions in recent past," he added.