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The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) on Friday condemned alleged "casteist" remarks made by JNU Vice-Chancellor Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit in a podcast released on February 16 and demanded her resignation.
In a statement, JNUSU said it was "shocked" by the Vice-Chancellor's remarks and alleged that the statements reflected caste bias. The student body also objected to her remarks regarding UGC regulations and references made in the podcast in connection with Dalits and affirmative action. "We are students of JNU, and are shocked at the blatantly casteist statements made by VC Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit on a podcast published on 16th February 2026. The VC first proudly proclaimed her RSS lineage - 'I am proud of my affiliations with Rashtriya Sevika Samiti,' 'RSS gave me a worldview which is universal and unique,' 'RSS taught appreciation of difference and diversity,'" read the statement "She then went on to prove what her lineage actually means with the following abhorrent statements:- 'UGC regulations are unnecessary,' 'UGC regulation is irrational,' 'You cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for the Blacks; the same thing was brought for Dalits here. By making somebody a devil, it is not easy to progress. It is a temporary type of drug," added the statement. "Is this the worldview that she was taught at RSS camps? This is the chronology we have to understand. The chronology of injustice, caste supremacy, and perpetual systemic exclusion in universities and public spaces," it added further. The JNUSU statement said that it "is not only ashamed but condemns the blatantly casteist statements made by a VC of a premier public university." They appealed to all the Unions, student organisations, and students across campuses and the country to condemn the statements and observe a national protest day on Saturday (February 21), demanding the resignation of the Vice Chancellor. (ANI)
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