The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Friday launched a protest against the university administration’s move to install biometric systems at the entry gates of the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Central Library on campus, calling it a “surveillance apparatus”.
However, university officials said the systems were a security measure in the wake of “derogatory, casteist and misogynist” slurs found written on a library desk.
The JNUSU said the administration was neglecting the students’ “genuine concerns” of expanding the seating capacity in the library and improving academic infrastructure to install the biometric gates.
All India Students’ Association (AISA) alleged that the acting librarian allowed contractors to continue the installation work despite peaceful protests, and barred students from entering the library. The student body also claimed the official summoned the Delhi police to the campus to suppress “the peaceful protest”.
In a notification issued on Wednesday, the university called the act of writing the slurs “a serious incident” that violated JNU’s ethos of inclusion, equality, and harmony. “Taking cognisance of the gravity of the situation, the university has taken immediate action by declaring two outsiders/ex-students out of bounds with immediate effect,” the notification said.
Published – August 23, 2025 01:37 am IST
