JNU serves notice to Anirban Bhattacharya for 2015 event

Jawaharlal Nehru University authorities on Thursday served a show-cause notice to Ph.D. scholar student Anirban Bhattacharya for his alleged involvement in a screening of Nakul Singh Sawhney’s controversial documentary Muzaffarnagar Abhi Baki Hai in August last year.

Members of the ABVP had last year stopped the screening of the documentary on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots at the Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College. In August last year, following protests by the ABVP, the JNU had stopped the screening of the documentary, saying no permission had been sought for the event.

Mr Bhattacharya has already been rusticated and debarred from JNU for five years in connection with the controversial Afzal Guru event.

“A complaint against you was received in the chief proctor’s office in August 2015. It has been alleged that you were involved in participation in the screening of a documentary film, Muzaffarnagar Abhi Baki Hai, without permission of the administration near Godavari Dhaba,” the notice said. “You are directed to appear before the Proctor on May 4 and explain your position in this regard. You may also bring your evidence which you may wish to submit in your defence,” it added.

Based on the recommendation of a university panel investigating the Afzal Guru incident in February, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has been penalised with Rs 10,000 and Ph.D. scholar Umar Khalid has been rusticated for one semester and slapped with fine of Rs 20,000. Mr Bhattacharya, who has been rusticated from the university till July 15, has also been debarred from taking up any course or participating in any academic activity in the JNU for five years beginning July 23.

However, the varsity has given him a eight-day window for submitting his thesis, failing which he will have to start his Ph.D. afresh in the university, that too after five years.

Reacting to the show-cause notice served to him, nine months after the event, Mr Bhattacharya said: “There was an unfamiliar knock on the door. I was anticipating that they might come any time demanding me to vacate my hostel room as per the farcical order of rustication. But as I opened the door, I was honoured with, guess what, yet another notice from the proctor’s office.”

The proctor did not answer calls and text messages seeking his reaction on why the notice has been sent after so long and especially when Mr Bhattacharya has already been rusticated.