RGNUL students sustain protests for the third day demanding the Resignation of VC as allegations of misconduct against him persist. The grounds of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) at Patiala are abuzz with protests and unrest as students sustained their protest for the third consecutive day. The happening began when the administration had indefinitely suspended the campus on September 23 following serious allegations of misconduct against the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jai Shankar Singh. The VC has been accused of violating the rights of women inmates to privacy as he surprise-visited on 22nd of September without the presence of women staff.
There was an accusation regarding him entering the rooms of female students without any warning, making inappropriate comments on their clothes, once asking a student why she wore shorts. The incident has already unleashed a storm of indignation, and now students are demanding that he should resign on the grounds of systematic disregard for the personal well-being of students, besides an invasion of personal space.
On September 24, students presented their demands in the form of a detailed letter to the Chancellor, who also doubles as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The letter chronicles events that led to the protest and earlier allegations against Prof. Singh during his tenure at Allahabad University, when he had received an alleged showcause notice for visiting a faculty member’s house at odd hours.
The letter goes on to narrate several anecdotal instances of inappropriate behavior by the VC. In one, he allegedly told a student requesting exam permissions, “Agar aukaat nahi thee toh itne high-level university mein admission kyu liya?” (If you couldn’t afford it, why did you join such a prestigious university? Apparently, the very comment put the student in such an anxiety that he ended up in the hospital undergoing treatment.
Another instance cited is that of a Ph.D scholar, whom is claimed to have been counselled to leave the research on criminal jurisprudence, and embrace topics like domestic violence or marriage, as VC suggested, “Ladki ho, aram se ghar pr course karo” (You are a girl, stay at home and do the course).
They also claim that the VC has been aggressively discouraging participation in co-curricular pursuits like moot courts, internships, and research activities. They also try to project his actions as part of a larger pattern of insensitivity and misconduct.
Students Threaten to Continue Demonstrations Till VC Resigns
The students have vowed that they would not relent in their sit-in until Prof Singh resigns. The efforts of attempting to negotiate between the administration and students have ended in a fiasco since students opposed private talks, demanding that the VC talk to them in public forums. In response, the campus security has closed the main entrance gates to the university, but the students are adamant on getting accountability.