New Delhi: Under fire over the violence in campus on January 5, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar on Tuesday brushed away demands of his resignation as not holding any "value" and stressed that he intended to continue working towards the betterment of the institute.
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, he claimed that a majority of the students and faculty members were committed towards their jobs, and only a small section wanted to bring disrepute to the varsity.
'Administration flexible, wrong for students to keep opposing us'
On the continuous protests for the past two months over the issue of 'fee hike', Kumar said that the administration had apprised the students of the varsity's financial position.
"Th UGC told us that services like water and electricity would come under our internal costs. We took feedback from the students and MHRD then told UGC to cover the expenses. We even reduced the utility and service charges. For students from the economically weaker sections, the hostel fee is just Rs 150 as opposed to Rs 300," he said.
"Even though we showed so much flexibility, few students tried to stop others from continuing their work. This is not right, they have no right to stop the university from functioning," he added.
'Will continue doing my job'
Asserting that he did not want JNU to be the focus of news channels, Kumar said that his dream was to ensure that the varsity is ranked among the top 100 institutes in the world.
"We do not want any controversy. It is only a few students and faculty members who leave their responsibilities and go sit on dharnas outside, " he said.
Kumar said that ever since he joined the varsity in 2016, few people were demanding his resignation as they were opposed to the changes he was bringing in the system.
"I do not think their demand holds any value. It is their right to say, but I will continue doing my job," he said.
Responding to allegations that he was not approachable, Kumar said that students need to realise the different levels of hierarchy. "We had discussions on every level," he said.
"On the first Monday of every month, any student can come to my office without an appointment between 2 pm and 6 pm. The same holds true for faculty members on the second Monday and other employees on the third," he said.
'Masked people destroyed data centre'
Kumar claimed that some students, housing malafide intentions towards the varsity, did not want the registration of the winter semester to take place.
"On January 3, some masked people tried to destroy the data centre," he said, adding that a decision will be taken only after the Delhi Police finishes investigating the case.
'Cannot call cops at the drop of a hat'
Responding to allegations that he delayed calling in the police on January 5, Kumar claimed that he had taken stock of the situation as soon as he got information about the violence.
"Immediately after I came to know about the violence, I sent our security guards to the spot, who after reaching there realised that the number of goons was growing. I then called and informed the DCP and the Commissioner." he said.
"Only after looking at the situation, can we take a call. We don't want to call cops at the drop of a hat. We need to see whether we can manage with our own security. Only if the situation goes out of hand, should the police be called," he added.
On the reduction of security guards to 225 from 400, Kumar said that the decision was taken after an audit. "We need to strike a balance after looking at the expenses as well," he said.
'Working positively for the betterment of the University'
Kumar stated that ever since he joined the varsity in 2016, he has only been working positively for its betterment.
"We have sought funding of Rs 450 crore from Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA). We want to build a new academic complex, and aim to set-up at least 100 start-ups within the campus in the next 5 years. We even set up a placement cell and an R&D cell, which has led to an increase in the sponsored research funding - from Rs 35 crore in 2016, to Rs 190 crore in 2019.
Also read: Modi, Shah misled people on CAA, NRC: Sonia Gandhi
Stressing that all students were equal in the eyes of the administration, Kumar said that he was working for the collective betterment of all students.
Responding to crtiticism of him being unfit to head JNU with a technical background, Kumar said, "With IIT, I have been involved in higher education for 25 years. I am aware of the challenges. Unless we expand our academic activities, we will not see ourselves in the top 100," he said.
'Look at both sides'
Kumar also appealed to alumni and other known names to examine both the sides of the coin. "Be it alumni or other big names, the choice is yours to pick any side. But I request you to look on the other side as well. Majority of students want to study. Do they have no rights? Why are you not looking at them?" he asked.
