JNU appoints new chief proctor amid row over CPO manual restricting protests

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University has appointed Sudhir Kumar, a professor at its School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies, as the new chief proctor amid a row over a manual that imposed stringent curbs on protesting in restricted areas of the campus.

Kumar replaces Professor N Janardhana Raju of the university's School of Environmental Sciences. The Chief Proctor Office (CPO) manual that sparked a controversy in November last year for penalising protests on campus was released when Raju was in office.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) had demanded the revocation of the CPO manual that levied a fine of up to Rs 20,000 for staging a dharna on campus and Rs 10,000 for raising "anti-national" slogans.

"After a united struggle by the student’s community, the chief proctor was changed by the administration," the JNUSU said in a statement on Friday, adding that it was not satisfied with the action and wants the entire manual to be rolled back.

The JNU administration has, however, denied that the appointment was in any way linked to the students' demands. It said Sudhir Kumar was appointed as chief proctor after N Janardhana Raju was promoted to dean of the School of Environmental Sciences.

"The students' demands have nothing to do with the appointment. The students met with officials and were asked to show in writing what was different from the old manual. So far, no response has come in writing from the students," JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit told PTI.