We the undersigned teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University, and members of the JNU Teachers Association, hereby assert that in keeping with the best traditions of teacher politics of this university, we are committed to a gender-sensitive and gender-just university campus. This political understanding contributed to the formation of the GSCASH, and it is this politics that guides us to raise our voices AGAINST the current scenario in which:
1. Conduct of some teachers and officials does not recognise that each incident of sexual harassment results in violation of the fundamental rights of ‘gender equality’ and the ‘right of life and liberty’, wherein right to life means life with dignity.
2. University body decisions set up defendants’ representations as the benchmark against which the enquiry reports of GSCASH are to be judged, when in fact GSCASH is the sole inquiring authority into complaints of gender violence, as designated by the law of the land and the regulations of the University.
3. Confidentiality with regards to complaints enquired into by the GSCASH is blatantly violated by some teacher representatives.
4. Some teacher representatives assume that a ‘struggle for the rights of teachers’ can entail victim blaming and defamation of complainants.
5. Persons charged with (or found guilty of) sexual harassment/violence serve in statutory bodies and as teacher representatives.
6. The processes of GSCASH are perverted by some teachers’ campaigns on unfounded allegations of procedural infirmity.
7. The evaluation of a GSCASH enquiry report is done by persons not bound by the oath of confidentiality and impartiality.
8. The integrity of members of GSCASH is put on public trial in the name of guaranteeing the ‘principles of natural justice’ to defendants.
We stand FOR a campus atmosphere in which the health, and freedom of complainants is always primary and the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19(1)(g) of the Indian Constitution ‘to carry on any occupation, trade or profession’ are realised through the provision of a “safe” working environment for all.
Ayesha Kidwai, Brinda Bose, Chirashree Dasgupta, Chitra Harshvardhan, G. Arunima, Janaki Nair, Madhu Sahni, Mohan Rao, Mohinder Singh, Nilika Mehrotra, Nivedita Menon, Parnal Chirmuley, Pratiksha Baxi, Ranjani Mazumdar, Rohit, Shambhavi Prakash, Shankari Sundararaman, Shukla Sawant, Surajit Mazumdar, Tiplut Nongbri, Urmimala Sarkar, Vikas Bajpai,
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