JNU forms panel to review biometric system at library

The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday constituted a committee to review the installation of a biometric system for entry into the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Central Library. The move follows a sit-in launched by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union on August 22 against the administration’s decision to instal the face recognition system at the entry gate, terming it a “surveillance apparatus” imposed on students.

In a notification, the JNU Registrar said: “The committee shall consist of all the stakeholders and submit its recommendations. Till then, the status quo shall be maintained.” The official appealed to all stakeholders to desist from engaging in any unauthorised activity and cooperate in the smooth functioning of the library.

Aside from the removal of the biometric system, the JNUSU is also demanding the expansion of seating capacity in the library and an improvement in the academic infrastructure. The university had said that the system was introduced as a security measure in the wake of “derogatory, casteist and misogynist” slurs found scribbled on a library desk.