Summary of this article
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) will hold a campus-wide referendum on Tuesday seeking students’ mandate "on whether the vice chancellor should be removed."
The controversy has also involved protests over alleged caste-related remarks by the VC, clashes between student groups.
Several students were detained and arrested during a march to the Ministry of Education.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has announced a student referendum to be held on Tuesday across all schools of the university, seeking the mandate of students "on whether the vice chancellor should be removed." The referendum will be overseen by former members of the JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA), and the results will be released on Wednesday.
No immediate response was received from the JNU Vice Chancellor’s office.
"Taking into account the casteist remarks made by the JNU VC recently, the referendum will open the field for students to express their opinion on whether the VC should continue to remain in her position or be removed. The voices of the students will be heard," former JNUSU president Nitish Kumar told PTI.
The university and the students’ union have recently been embroiled in multiple controversies. Protests have continued on campus since early February after the university suspended four JNUSU office-bearers along with former JNUSU president Kumar for two semesters. The suspension was issued for “extensive damage to university property” during a protest at the Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library on November 21, 2025.
The developments triggered further protests demanding revocation of the suspension order, clashes between Left- and Right-wing student groups, and criticism over alleged caste-related remarks made by the JNU VC from both students and teacher bodies.
A JNUSU statement said, "All this reached its crescendo with the police detaining more than 50 students and arresting 14 of them for marching to MoE (Ministry of Education) demanding UGC (University Grants Commission) regulations, funds and resignation of VC for her casteist remarks. The JNU-14 had to spend three days in Tihar Jail, and the VC made no statement condemning the police."
JNUSU members said that with no action taken by authorities despite complaints by the former JNUSU president to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) seeking disciplinary action against the VC, and repeated demands by students and teachers for clarification from the Ministry of Education, the referendum has been called to intensify the movement.
JNUSU vice president Gopika K. Babu said on Monday, "We will not remain silent. The VC has attacked our dignity and self-respect. The fight for her removal from the post of Vice Chancellor will not stop."
