Nazar Mohammad Mohaideen, a research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Molecular Medicine (SCMM), claims that he has endured continuous harassment from his supervisor for the past eight months, leading him to feel compelled to drop out of the university.
Nazar was one of the students who suffered severe injuries during the attack by members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at Teflas (Union office) on 19 February this year, which occurred during a movie screening.
After the assault and threats from ABVP members, he encountered continuous harassment at SCMM from his supervisor, Prof. Shailja Singh. She refused to guide him, labeling him a “significant security threat” to the centre and fellow students.
On 4 October, Nazar received a letter from the Chairperson of SCMM, declaring that he cannot continue his Ph.D from the University.
“Despite repeated appeals to Centre, no faculty came forward to ensure that a smooth transition of the supervisor takes place. Both Nazar and representatives from JNUSU tried to reach out for dialogue across the sections of faculty which had not been heard at any point of time. Recently in a letter addressed by the Chairperson, the Centre has now refused to appoint a new supervisor for Nazar which puts his PhD at risk. Such a step is against the very ordinance of the University guidelines thus clearly showing the intent of the JNU Administration. The incident has blatantly exposed the JNU Administration’s apathy towards students especially coming from the minority communities and a systemic attack to curb dissent within University space,” read a statement by JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU).
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here .