JNU students’ body demands VC’s resignation over ‘blatantly casteist’ remarks
New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has called for the immediate resignation of Vice Chancellor Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit after he made “blatantly casteist statements” during a podcast earlier this week.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement, JNUSU condemned Pandit’s remarks in a 52-minute interview with The Sunday Guardian, and announced an India-wide protest day demanding her removal.
During the podcast, Pandit questioned provisions of the University Grants Commission (UGC)’s Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, which are designed to address discrimination, including caste-based exclusion. She stated that marginalized communities cannot advance by “remaining permanent victims” or by “playing the victim card”.
The JNUSU slammed the comments as insensitive and dismissive of the historical injustices faced by Dalits and other marginalised groups. It said it was shocked by what it described as casteist and exclusionary remarks made by Pandit while discussing student politics, university regulations, and social justice policies. Student representatives argued that such observations from the head of a central university could create an atmosphere of alienation for vulnerable communities.
The union also objected to Pandit’s remarks expressing pride in her association with the RSS and the Rashtra Sevika Samiti. When asked how the RSS shaped her worldview, Pandit said the organisation had given her “strong cultural pride” and taught appreciation for diversity.
The podcast has triggered widespread backlash, with academics, activists, and political leaders condemning Pandit for normalizing caste prejudice. A banner on the JNU campus read: “A message to the VC of JNU from JNU: Madam VC, remember that the air here, the walls, the trees, the roads, all tell stories of rebellion.”
Suraj Kumar Bhudh, founder of Mission Ambedkar, has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, accusing Pandit of equating Dalit struggles with “permanent victimhood” and calling it a “temporary type of drug.”
Academics including Apoorvanand and Saba Naqvi criticized the VC, questioning whether casteist and discriminatory remarks are acceptable from the head of a national university.
Reacting to the controversy, Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, said: “No pseudo-journalist humiliates Dalits about drinking water — it’s the JNU VC herself saying Dalits are drugged with ‘victimhood’. This proves why we need UGC Equity Regulations and why this VC must resign immediately.”
