JNU students send "token" replies to show-cause notices

NEW DELHI: JNU students who have been served show-cause notices in connection with the controversial Afzal Guru event row, today sent "token" replies saying they do not have "faith" in the enquiry and can't give explanation if they don't know their crime.

"How can we reply to a show-cause where there is no show-crime? We all have sent token replies to the show cause notices saying that we reject this biased enquiry and we do not accept its findings," former JNUSU president Ashutosh Kumar who has been found "guilty of inciting communal violence on campus" said.

The token replies by students do not have any explanation of "why disciplinary action should not be taken against them".

"We have just been told we are guilty but who will explain our offence. I have been found guilty of disrupting communal harmony. For what? The probe report does not reflect anything," he said.

Anant Prakash, former JNUSU vice president said, "they have called me guilty of what is considered an offence by VC. Will they explain what the offence is? The panel is headed by a person with right-wing affiliations. It had announced our suspension without even hearing our side. The enquiry is a sham and its findings are spurious."

Aishwarya Adhikari, who was among the suspended ones and had also been served a show-cause but her name doesn't figure in the report, has also raised her concern in the response.

"My academics suffered for a complete month. I am guilty also and my name is not in report. Who is going to answer for that? I have raised these concerns in my response which is more of a series of questions rather than response".

Besides, the individual token replies JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has sent a collective reply as well on behalf of the students.

Earlier, they had decided not to reply the notices in connection with the controversial February 9 event, terming the findings of the probe committee report as "spurious". The students had also passed a resolution in this regard at a council meeting.

The show cause notices were issued to 21 students on March 14, after a high level committee of the university found them "guilty" of "violating university norms and discipline rules", asking them to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them.

The administration had communicated to the students that if they did not reply to the show-cause notice, "it would be assumed that they had not anything to say in the matter and the office will proceed further in the matter".