JNUSU demands resignation of VC Shantishree Pandit over casteist remarks
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Friday demanded the resignation of Vice Chancellor Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit, accusing her of making “blatantly casteist statements” during a podcast published earlier this week.
In a statement issued on Friday, the student body condemned remarks made by the Vice Chancellor in a 52-minute podcast interview with The Sunday Guardian, released on February 16, and called for a nationwide protest day demanding her resignation.
The controversy centres around Pandit’s comments on the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, which were notified on January 13 to address discrimination, including caste-based discrimination, in universities.
The Supreme Court stayed the regulations on January 29, observing that they could have “very sweeping consequences” and potentially “divide society.”
During the interview, Pandit criticised the regulations, calling them “totally unnecessary” and “irrational.”
“You cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card,” she said, adding that policies framed around victimhood were “a temporary type of drug.”
""There is a permanent victimhood and you cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for the Blacks; the same thing was brought for Dalits here. By making somebody a devil, it is not easy to progress. It is a temporary type of drug," she said.
“JNUSU condemns the casteist comments passed by the JNU VC. JNU VC Shantishree Pandit must resign,” the union said in its statement.
The students’ union said it was “shocked” by what it described as casteist and exclusionary remarks allegedly made by Pandit while discussing student politics, university regulations, and social justice policies.
JNUSU alleged that such remarks reflected caste prejudice and undermined struggles against structural discrimination in higher education.
The union said the statements revealed “a chronology of caste supremacy and systemic exclusion” within universities and appealed to student organisations and campuses across the country to observe a national protest day on February 21.
JNUSU also objected to Pandit’s remarks expressing pride in her association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Rashtra Sevika Samiti.
Asked how the RSS shaped her worldview, Pandit said the organisation had given her “strong cultural pride” and taught appreciation for diversity.
“I’m very proud because it gave me a worldview that was universal as well as unique,” she said, praising the organisation’s social service work and claiming it did not discriminate on caste lines.
The students’ union criticised this statement, arguing that it reflected ideological bias incompatible with the leadership of a public university.
The interview has triggered widespread backlash from academics, activists and political leaders, many of whom accused the Vice Chancellor of normalising caste prejudice.
A banner appeared on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus addressing the Vice Chancellor. The banner read, “A message to the VC of JNU from JNU, Madam VC, remember that the air here, the walls, the trees, the roads, all tell stories of rebellion.”
Suraj Kumar Bhudh, founder of “Mission Ambedkar,” has filed a complaint before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) against JPandit, accusing her of making derogatory remarks by equating the struggles of the Dalit community with “permanent victimhood” and describing it as a “temporary type of drug.”
Academic and activist Apoorvanand questioned whether such remarks could be treated as legitimate opinion from the head of a premier public university.
“JNU VC says that Dalits are drugged with victimhood. Should it be treated as yet another valid opinion? Should a person be allowed to air it and yet remain head of an institution, that too an educational one?” he asked.
Author Saba Naqvi also criticised Pandit, writing that casteist and racist remarks were incompatible with the responsibilities of leading a national university.
“Her name is Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, VC of JNU. No need to guess which strata of society she is from. For casteist and racist remarks she should be stripped of her post,” she said, adding that such leadership undermined the credibility of institutions of higher education.
Student activist Safoora Zargar said the remarks reflected entrenched privilege within positions of power. “This woman is the Vice Chancellor of one of the best institutions in India. We have people like her making decisions that impact the lives of thousands of students. What about privileged people like you, madam, who are drugged with privilege and power?” she said.
Reacting to the controversy, Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, said the comments underscored the need for equity regulations in higher education.
“No crazy pseudo-journalist humiliating Dalits about drinking water, it’s the JNU VC herself saying Dalits are drugged with ‘victimhood’. If the Supreme Court is watching, this is evidence enough to infer why we need UGC Equity Regulations and why this VC must be asked to quit forthwith,” he said.
In the interview, Pandit also defended the JNU administration’s decision to rusticate five student leaders accused of vandalising surveillance equipment at the university’s Ambedkar Library.
“They destroyed public property… sat on top of it, took pictures and put it on social media,” she said.
Pandit stated that students were charged under laws relating to destruction of public property and warned that similar acts outside campus could lead to imprisonment.
“We have just debarred them for two semesters and imposed a ₹20,000 fine… It is taxpayers’ money. I am answerable to the government, Parliament and the people of India,” she said.
She emphasised the need for accountability, saying, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Choices have consequences.”
Responding to the controversy, Pandit denied that her remarks were casteist.
“I did not mean that,” she told PTI, adding that her comments were directed at what she described as “woke interpretations of history” and debates around permanent victimhood.
“I am a Bahujan myself; I come from an OBC background,” she said, asserting that excerpts from the podcast had been taken out of context.
Pandit also said criticism of the UGC equity regulations stemmed from concerns about inadequate consultation and due diligence rather than opposition to social justice measures.
