JNU students will not take lie-detector tests
‘Giving consent to any such test is an individual’s discretion and cannot be forced by a court of law’.
In order to harmonise the “scholar-teacher ratio” for admissions to MPhil/PhD courses from the next academic session, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will soon appoint 300 teachers. The university administration has already started the recruitment process.
“The JNU will appoint 300 teachers to normalise the situation of massive cut in seats in MPhil and PhD courses that resulted after the implementation of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) 5 July 2016 notification. The notification had set “scholar-teacher ratio” across universities. The procedure for appointment of teaching staff in the university will be completed this year,” Poonam Kudesia, JNU spokesperson, said.
This year, the university will admit only 102 students in MPhil and PhD courses compared to last year when it had inducted 970 students. The implementation of UGC’s 2016 notification, which prescribes minimum standards and procedures for awarding MPhil and doctoral degrees in JNU, has resulted in massive seat cuts in admissions for the upcoming academic session 2017-18.
Last week, the JNU had released its prospectus suggesting seat cuts in M.Phil/PhD programmes across different courses in line with the UGC guidelines after the Delhi High Court last week dismissed the plea by some students challenging the admission policy for these courses in the university. The disciplines that have been most affected by the cut in seats are European studies, South Asian studies, geography, PhD in Visual Studies, PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies and PhD in Cinema Studies. Even in other disciplines, the intake numbers are not very high.
The highest intake capacity is for MTech in computer and system sciences (MTCP) at 20. The lowest intake capacity is in the social science subjects, under the School of Social Sciences which has 15 centres, Admissions will take place in just three centres. Students had protested that the UGC notification would result in “excess seat cuts”, leading to no admissions in the M.Phil and doctoral programmes at several centres of the university and had launched a massive agitation against the move. “The UGC notification is mandatory for all universities across the nation to decide on an annual basis, a predetermined and manageable number of M.Phil and doctoral students, depending on the number of available eligible faculty supervisors,” JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said. “The core objective of the provision of supervisor-student ratio is to maintain the standard of research in the universities across the nation,” a senior UGC official said. All the nine students of Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU), who have been accused by their opponents of allegedly having a scuffle with Najeeb Ahmed a night before he went missing, will not give their consent to a lie-detector test, according to sources.
On Thursday, a Delhi court had asked the nine students to appear before it on 6 April, to record their consent or refusal to undergo a lie detector test with respect to Najeeb Ahmed’s case. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass had asked the nine students to appear before the court “without fail”.
Sources said that the students’ lawyer has advised them not to give their consent for the polygraph test as the students are not even named in the FIR by the Delhi Police. Giving consent to any such test is an individual’s discretion and cannot be forced by a court of law, sources said. The Delhi Police FIR had named unknown persons in the case.
Najeeb Ahmed had gone missing from his room in JNU’s Mahi hostel on 15 October 2016 after an alleged scuffle with a few students allegedly from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The incident triggered massive protests by students, forcing the police to launch a massive hunt.
Arnab, a PhD student at JNU who is among those accused of having an alleged scuffle with Najeeb Ahmed, said: “We are being harassed for nothing. Neither are we named in the FIR, nor did we have any scuffle with Najeeb. Our names were mentioned in an internal investigation carried out by the proctor; even there, we came out clean.”
“Just for political gain, Leftaligned students are playing dirty politics and accused me of having a scuffle. However, the reality is that I had called the warden to inform him about the incident. I was shocked the moment I saw my name on the list of accused,” Arnab added.
“I am doing my PhD and have to submit my synopsis. I am distressed with the events and further harassment by the police. Who will be responsible if I commit suicide in frustration?” Arnab asked.
Vijendra, another JNU student accused of an alleged scuffle with Najeeb, said: “Though police is pushing us to give our consent to a polygraph test, they are yet to conduct the same test on Najeeb’s roommate, Quasim, who has already given his consent.”
“I am being harassed just because I don’t follow communist ideology. Ever since the incident has happened, my life has been miserable. I had no grouse or enmity with Najeeb; I was not even known to him. As a final- year graduation student, I want to concentrate on my studies, not on a lie detector test,” Vijendra said. Saurabh Sharma, a JNU student and former office bearer of the JNU Students’ Union, who also represents the ABVP on campus, said: “The Delhi police is not investigating the case properly and is beating around the bush. Even the Delhi High Court has lashed out at the police for its inefficiency in the case.” After Najeeb went missing, the reward on any information on him has been increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs10 lakh.