JNUSU writes to V-C over enrolling 3 jailed scholars for semester
nNEWDELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Saturday wrote to vice-chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, seeking his “urgent intervention” in facilitating the pending semester registrations of three research scholars arrested for their alleged role in the Delhi riots, ahead of the deadline.
Sharjeel Imam, Natasha Narwal, and Devangana Kalita are accused of instigating people through their speeches during the anti-citizenship Amendment Act protests before the riots. The three have denied the allegations.
The Union sought Kumar’s intervention to ensure the “academic progress of these students is not impeded”.
“We are getting calls from their family members. They are also stressed,” said JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, explaining why they approached the V-C.
In its email to Kumar, the Union said Imam’s registration has been blocked despite repeated appeals by JNUSU. “This is to bring to your immediate attention that the registration of Sharjeel Imam (PHD student/ CHS/SSS) has been pending from the last semester. This is despite repeated appeals from the JNUSU to the Proctor office that the registration has been blocked.”
“..on behalf of JNUSU, we would request you that the registration process for the last and upcoming semester of Sharjeel Imam and the process of upcoming semester registration for Natasha Narwal (PHD student/ CHS/SSS) and Devangana Kalita (PHD Student/cws [Centre for Women Students]/sss) who presently are students of JNU should be facilitated,” the students’ body wrote in its letter.
Registrar Pramod Kumar said the current registration process is only provisional. “When they [the arrested students] are out of jail, they can get the registration done depending upon the conditions of their release.”
Natasha’s father Mahavir Narwal said, “Since she is in judicial custody and doesn’t have access to internet or banking facilities, I had requested that I be authorised to register for her instead. That doesn’t solve the problem because I don’t have her login ID and the details are saved in Natasha’s phone which is with the police. I have written to university officials this week to assist me in this but there has been no response so far.”