Controversial JNU VC has a new home: UGC

Troubled Tenure

As the Covid-19 pandemic ripped through the country, New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, too, felt its impact deeply. In two waves of the pandemic, 22 faculty members of the varsity succumbed to the virus. Some of them were retired while some were still working with JNU.

To honour them, faculty members planted two banyan trees on the campus. Three weeks later, the trees were uprooted.

The person who allegedly ordered the removal was Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, then vice-chancellor of JNU.

“He had to be reminded to send a condolence message upon the passing of our colleagues,” said a faculty member involved with the effort.

“He also stopped pensions of some retired faculty. It was particularly hard on one of our former colleagues who is suffering from cancer.”

These alleged incidents, which appear cruel and standout for their lack of empathy, best sum up Kumar’s stint as vice-chancellor of JNU, a prestigious liberal arts institution.

Kumar is now the new chairperson of the Universal Grants Commission (UGC).

Also read: JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar appointed UGC chairman

At the UGC, Kumar says, he intends to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and its various aspects, such as improving the gross enrolment ratio (GER), rolling out the Central Universities Entrance Test (CUET), and multidisciplinary education.

Born in undivided Andhra Pradesh (Telangana), Kumar, an academic who has MS and PhD degrees from the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT-Madras, has a post-doctoral research at Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Canada’s University of Waterloo.

He continues to be a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi, an institute he joined in 1997 and where he is revered for his classroom skills.

Controversial stint

Kumar’s stint at JNU was marred by a series of controversies that made national news. The disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmad, protests by student and faculty unions alike, and a brazen attack on JNU students that left several injured.

The first signs of trouble were visible in the human resources department (now renamed ministry of education). An engineer who specialises in the area of nano-electronic devices, Kumar’s appointment did not find support from Smriti Irani, who was then the HRD minister.

Irani supported the appointment of scientist VS Chauhan instead. The HRD ministry, too, had to say this about Kumar: “The IIT system differs fundamentally from that of a university, including in the culture, structure and functioning.”

Students and faculty alike blame Kumar for wedging a divide within JNU. He certainly seemed to be not well-versed in the art of communicating and alien to symbolic gestures.

Some of the changes that he brought in JNU were the removal of posters across campus, a tradition that has continued since the institute was established. Some of the posters and wall art, said those at JNU, were more than three decades old.

He set up a food court in the varsity known for its dhabas. He also set up new schools, including one for traditional Indian music and dance.

During his stint, 200-odd cases were filed in the courts over various issues. Students say that he refused to meet Najeeb Ahmed’s mother, and she had to meet the rector and other officials instead.

JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) secretary Moushumi Basu says that he was divisive. “He single-handedly destroyed JNU. We remember him as a divisive force who was not keen on taking suggestions from anyone,” said Basu.

While Kumar’s stint at IIT-Delhi, where he continues to teach pro bono, can be described as professional within the walls of a classroom, it was not controversy-free. There, too, he stirred up trouble.

In 2002, something unusual took place at the technical institution: a protest. This was unusual because IITs are rarely in news for such incidents.

The reason behind the protest was the turmoil in the Nilgiri hostel. Kumar, as warden, had put in place several rules which didn’t go down well with the inmates.

“Students were not too happy with the rules,” said a former student. “One day, he (warden) overheard the banter of two students and took offence. He went and slapped them.”

Protests that followed led to Kumar’s removal as the warden.

In 2017, in what can be termed as a departure from JNU ideals, Kumar celebrated Vijay Diwas inside the varsity campus, where he said that he will request the government for an army tank to be installed inside the campus.

“The presence of an Army tank will constantly remind students of the great sacrifice and valour of the Indian Army and defence forces,” Kumar said.

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