The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) Tuesday made public the letter sent to historian Romila Thapar by the JNU administration, in a bid to counter the “blatant falsehood” being spread about the move. After facing criticism from various quarters for asking for Thapar’s CV, the JNU administration had put out a statement in which they said the letter was not sent for discontinuation but only to check willingness and availability of the Emeritus Professors. A total of 12 Professor Emeriti, including Thapar, had received the letter. “As per the ordinance, the university is required to write to all those who have attained the age of 75 years to know their availability and their willingness to continue their association with the university. Writing these letters as per the ordinance is not for discontinuation but for an informed review by the executive council.” the statement said. Romila Thapar-JNU row explained: Who is a Professor Emeritus? However, the letter sent to Thapar on July 12 and made public by JNUTA, read: “In light of the above Executive Resolution, you are requested to provide the latest CV for consideration of the Committee appointed by Executive Council to assess your work and decide on your continuation as Professor Emeritus by August 16 positively.” The subject line of the letter also said ‘Assessment of Past Work of “Professor Emeritus” in Jawaharlal Nehru University for the Committee to Decide on Continuation’. The JNUTA said the subject line is “all the evidence needed to expose the true intentions of the JNU administration”. Video | Who is Romila Thapar | Why has JNU asked for her CV? They demanded that “all such letters to Professors Emeriti issued by the JNU Registrar be immediately retracted, any review of their performance be put to an end, and a personal apology be tendered to each of them forthwith”. “The JNU Registrar’s counter to the JNUTA’s characterisation of the administration’s intent as ‘politically motivated’ has been that 12 such letters were sent out to Professors Emeriti. The JNUTA finds it laughable that the current JNU administration thinks that confessing to an insult on a larger scale counts as a defence,” said JNUTA president Atul Sood. “JNUTA’s charge of political motivation is only strengthened by this revelation, as by casting its net wide across several Professors Emeriti, the JNU Registrar has initiated a process of bringing JNU’s past before its Executive Council, so that it can proceed to undo it entirely,” he said. JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar did not respond to calls and texts seeking a comment.
