In February 2016, some Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students were arrested as the police registered a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy. This was for alleged anti-India slogans raised at an event organised on the campus against the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Accused Kanhaiya Kumar, then president of the students' union, Umar Khalid, Anirbhan Bhattacharya and some others were later let off. But not before the police action became a cause célèbre among Opposition parties and led to nationwide mass protests and accusations that the government is trying to stifle free speech.

Thirteen months later, in March 2017, when the dust was yet to settle, then President Pranab Mukherjee presented the 'Visitor's Award for Best University' to JNU, commending its unrelenting pursuit of academic excellence. He said JNU showed outstanding performance on all key parameters, including the quality of students and faculty, citations, publications, research projects, foreign collaborations and innovation exhibitions. Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar later described JNU a "top university" but said it got the award not for "slogans in praise of Afzal Guru" but for "quality work and research". The remark sums up an equation of unease between the government and JNU.

On March 20, Javadekar announced that 52 universities, including JNU, have been granted greater autonomy to start new courses, plan their own syllabi and collaborate with foreign institutions. However, the left-leaning JNU teachers' association (JNUTA) criticised the move and said the policy will promote commercialisation and privatisation.

It said greater autonomy was a step towards withdrawal of the State from its responsibility of providing accessible higher education to society, especially the marginalised groups.

Protests, demonstrations, slogans and wall graffiti have been JUN's permanent features, in its effort to highlight issues such as feminism, minority rights, social and economic justice, since it was established in 1969 by an act of Parliament. But after the sedition controversy, around the time M Jagadesh Kumar took over as Vice Chancellor, there has been much anger and resentment on the campus, known worldwide for its alumni who occupy important political and bureaucratic positions. The university has become a centre of the Left versus Right debate over several contentious issues such as 75 per cent compulsory attendance limits to changes to the timings of its dhabas and grievances against the administration.

First, the Chief Proctor had to resign because of differences with the administration over the sedition controversy. Then the administration blocked all protests and put students on notices, even for wall posters and graffiti. In October 2017, a "public inquiry" was conducted against the Vice-Chancellor by faculty members and students. Unheard of in any other academic institution, this inquiry posed several questions to the V-C and the administration.

Issues such as admission policy changes, replacement of the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) with the UGC-mandated Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and appointment of deans were highlighted.

JNUTA said JNU must be run in accordance with the framework laid down by the JNU Act. "For each decision, the Vice Chancellor is responsible. It is the VC who has the responsibility to maintain and promote the efficiency and good order of the university," it said. "The hostile atmosphere engineered by Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar is leading to the rapid destruction of the university."

In 2017-18, after MPhil/PhD admission policy changes, admissions saw an 83 per cent cut from the previous year, sparking a string of agitations but the administration did not roll back the decision. Protests against the replacement of GSCASH with ICC also went in vain.

On February 18, hundreds of JNU teachers held "Akrosh Dharna" on the campus against the "undemocratic" functioning of the administration. The protest call was given by JNUTA in the backdrop of an ongoing row over compulsory attendance being implemented by the V-C. But the issue of attendance is "just the tip of the iceberg".

Teachers highlighted several instances in the last two years when the administration not only deferred discussions on "important issues" during Academic Council (AC) meetings, but also allegedly overruled opinions given by the elected members of the primary decision-making body.

"There has been a complete procedural violation in academic decision making in the last one year. The way in which selection committees are being set up for faculty appointments… administrative posts are being filled up in completely arbitrary ways… these are collectively directed at concentrating power in the hands of the higher leadership," said JNUTA president Sonajharia Minz.

Teachers have been raising red flags over several academic decisions taken by the administration. "The V-C said that the compulsory attendance rule was unanimously passed during an AC meeting on December 1, last year.

However, it's not even a part of the agenda. Several AC members and centres raised objections, but they were not taken into consideration," Minz said. The administration has not called another AC meeting.

During a recent Executive Council meeting, the administration decided to replace all heads of the departments/centres who have not complied with the attendance system. Seven deans/HoDs have come under the scanner.

"Compliance, it appears, is to be the sole certification for occupying an administrative post," said JNUTA member Sudhir Kumar Sobti. Kavita Singh, dean of School of Arts and Aesthetics, who has also been served a notice of replacement, said, "The person replacing me is from the Centre for Persian Studies. This shows the 'academic interest' of the administration."

The V-C did not respond to DNA's questions, but an official in his office said, "It's the duty of teachers to cooperate with the administration in implementing decisions taken in academic interest." Since December 2016, teachers and students have been protesting the administration's decisions: seat cut;

V-C's move to give himself power to nominate experts to selection committees; attendance rule; latest change in hostel and mess fee structure.

"It's not that there were no issues before," said a teacher, "But earlier, they would have a dialogue with students and faculty. They never tried to dictate terms."

The V-C has repeatedly defended his position.

As protests mounted, ideological divides also deepened. Teachers are often seen split into camps. But there are many who lean neither Left nor Right . "There are 800 faculty members in the university. Some might be left leaning, others right leaning, but many do not belong to either ideology and are suffering," said a faculty member.

(Inputs from Fareeha Iftikhar)