New Delhi- A prominent Dalit rights organisation, the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, has written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan demanding the immediate removal of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit. The group accuses her of making "insensitive, casteist, and racist" statements during a February 16 interview with The Sunday Guardian podcast, hosted by journalist Joyeeta Basu.

In the lengthy interview discussing the University Grants Commission (UGC) (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 notified on January 13 to combat discrimination, including caste-based bias, in higher education , Prof. Pandit described the rules as "totally unnecessary" and "irrational." She further stated: "There is a permanent victimhood. And you cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for blacks... the same things were brought for Dalits here." She likened "permanent victimhood" to a "form of dependency" or "temporary type of drug" that hinders advancement, drawing parallels between affirmative action for Black communities in the US and measures for Dalits in India.

The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, in its letter signed by former MPs Ramachander Dom (General Secretary) and Subhashini Ali (Vice-President), condemned these remarks as revealing a "casteist and racist mindset" that is "unforgivable." They highlighted the context: The UGC regulations were issued in response to a 2019 Supreme Court directive following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the mothers of Rohith Vemula (a Dalit PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad) and Payal Tadvi (an Adivasi medical intern in Mumbai). Both died by suicide in 2016 and 2019, respectively, allegedly due to severe caste discrimination, termed "institutional murder" by activists.

The petitioners informed the Supreme Court that 115 SC/ST students had died by suicide in IITs alone between 2004 and 2024, underscoring systemic caste oppression in higher education. The group argued that dismissing anti-discrimination measures as unnecessary trivialises these tragedies and insults grieving families seeking safeguards.

"The JNU VC has demonstrated that she is completely unfit for the high post," the letter states, adding that as head of a central university, she is constitutionally bound to uphold social justice, which her statements prove she has no intention of doing. The Manch urged the minister to remove her "without any further delay" to fulfill his constitutional duty.

The controversy has sparked widespread outrage on campus and beyond. The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) has already demanded Prof. Pandit's resignation, calling her remarks "blatantly casteist" and organising protests, including a national protest day. Teachers' associations and left-leaning student groups like SFI have echoed the calls, criticising her views as undermining constitutional values.

Prof. Pandit has defended herself, stating that her words were taken out of context, misrepresented for political purposes, and that she was critiquing "woke" narratives rather than targeting Dalits. She has also highlighted her own Bahujan background and affiliations.