RAF deployed at JNU ahead of students’ long march.
Protests target VC’s alleged casteist remarks, demand UGC rules, Rohith Act, and her resignation.
Complaint filed under SC/ST Act, seeking probe and action.
A heavy deployment of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was seen outside Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Wednesday, hours ahead of a “long march” call given by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU).
Barricades were placed at key entry points as students prepared to march on campus, escalating a standoff with the university administration over allegations of casteist remarks by Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit.
The march was called with a set of demands: enactment of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations aimed at addressing caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions; implementation of a proposed “Rohith Act”; an apology and resignation from the Vice-Chancellor; and strengthened funding for public universities.
The protest follows weeks of unrest on campus. On February 22, thousands of students participated in a “Samta March,” rejecting what they described as the VC’s “blatant casteism” and demanding her immediate removal. The demonstrations were triggered by comments made by Pandit during a podcast appearance earlier this month.
On February 16, Pandit appeared on a podcast aired on the YouTube channel “The Sunday Guardian,” where the discussion centred on the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 — framed as a policy to address caste-based discrimination in universities.
At one point in the podcast, she said: “There is permanent victimhood, and you cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for blacks. The same thing was brought for Dalits here… By making somebody the devil, it is not easy to progress… It is manufacturing realities… Where I am the permanent victim whatever happens and you are the permanent oppressor. That doesn’t at all work.”
Student groups and several faculty members have termed the remarks insensitive and casteist, arguing that they undermine structural realities of discrimination faced by Dalit and other marginalised communities in higher education spaces.
On February 24, Dhananjay, a former JNUSU president, filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, seeking action against the Vice-Chancellor. In his complaint, he alleged that Pandit’s statements “promote feelings of hatred and ill will against people belonging to the Dalit and other marginalised communities” and therefore constitute an offence under Section 3(1)(u) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
In his plea, Dhananjay urged the Commission to take cognisance of the complaint and direct the authorities to initiate appropriate action against the Vice-Chancellor, order an independent investigation into the statements made during the podcast, and direct the registration of a case under relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including Section 3(1)(u). He further sought stern disciplinary and legal action against Pandit, including her immediate removal from the post of Vice-Chancellor.
(This is a developing story and will be updated)
