NEW DELHI: Following casteist slurs found inscribed on library desks in JNU, the varsity administration has installed facial recognition for the entrance in the library.
The administration says this has been done to avoid harassment of female students inside the library and to avoid the entry of outsiders. This has further triggered opposition from the students on the campus.
Tensions escalated on Friday when students attempted to enter the university library to halt the ongoing installation work. Videos shared by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on social media allegedly showed university security personnel forming a human chain to prevent the students from entering, leading to scenes of pushing and shoving at the library gates. In one video, JNUSU president Nitish Kumar was seen attempting to kick a glass panel of the library in a bid to gain entry, later emerging with a severe leg injury and bleeding profusely.
The JNUSU president also said, “After two days of peaceful protest, acting librarian Manorama Tripathi refused to halt the installation of the facial recognition entry gates. Instead of addressing the students’ genuine concerns, she shamelessly allowed contractors to proceed with the installation and barred students from entering. While the installation work continued inside, both the inner and outer gates were sealed off.”
Calling the biometric gates “a direct attack on the democratic rights of the common students”, JNUSU had announced an indefinite sit-in outside the library.