Controversial tweets by Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, the new vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, surfaced on social media after the Ministry of Education (MoE) appointed her to the top post on Monday.
She has now deleted the Twitter account after her past tweets triggered a huge outrage on the platform.
Pandit who is currently a Political Science professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, Savitribai Phule University in Maharashtra, has time and again spewed hate against Muslims on Twitter, calling the religious minority, ‘Jihadis’.
The 59-year-old, who is also an alumna of JNU, has even criticised the protesting farmers.
Santishree Pandit also called for a ban on the funding towards the universities of Jamia Millia Islamia and St Stephens as the students protested against the unconstitutional Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Pandit’s tweets also reflect a soft spot for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassinator Nathuram Godse.
Her previous tweets that have surfaced point towards her Islamophobia and hate towards religious minorities especially Muslims, which has led to outrage over her appointment on the platform.
Here are the reactions:
Who is Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is an alumna of JNU where she pursued her MPhil as well as PhD in International Relations.
Pandit began her teaching career at Goa University in 1988 and moved to Pune University in 1993. She has held administrative positions in various academic bodies. She has also been a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), and the Visitor’s nominee to central universities.
In her career, she has guided 29 PhDs.
“President Ram Nath Kovind, who is Visitor to the University, has approved the appointment of Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit as JNU Vice-Chancellor. Her appointment is for a period of five years,” a senior MoE official said.
M Jagadesh Kumar, who was holding the charge of acting VC at JNU after his five-year term ended last year, was last week appointed as the chairman of the UGC.
“It gives me pleasure to inform you that Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit from Savitribai Phule Pune University has been appointed as the next Vice-Chancellor of JNU. She is the first female Vice-Chancellor of JNU. My hearty congratulations to her. I am handing over the charge to her today and wish her success in her new role,” Kumar said in a statement.
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