JNU Students Vandalise Facial-Recognition Device Over Privacy Concerns, Officials Condemn 'Shameful' Act

New Delhi: Tension erupted in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus after students damaged a newly installed facial-recognition device at the Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library, accusing the administration of privacy violations and lack of transparency in implementing the new entry system. Following the incident, university officials have ordered a security probe.

According to reports, JNUSU vice president Gopika Babu and a group of students protesting the system allegedly broke the machine and damaged the library gate, triggering a tense atmosphere on campus. Several groups have demanded strict action against those involved.

In an official statement, the JNU administration strongly condemned the vandalism, calling it a “shameful” act by “left-wing goons”. 

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), JNU unit, demanded that all those responsible be identified and subjected to strict punitive action.

“The administration should not only take immediate cognisance of this incident but also strengthen the security system of the library complex, identify the responsible elements, and take the strictest possible action,” said ABVP President Mayank Panchal.

The student body said that the incident raises a critical question about whether the university will continue to remain “hostage to hooliganism and chaotic politics of leftist groups” or restore its dignity as an academic institution. It said such organisations attempt to obstruct systems that benefit students, claiming that the vandalism was aimed at destabilising the academic environment, destroying discipline, and turning the university into a platform for political experiments.

Acknowledging that the students' concerns were “legitimate” since the university had introduced the new entry system without any formal consultation from the student body, the official statement said that the students should have engaged in dialogue instead of seeking non-democratic ways. 

“Deliberation, dialogue, and resolution of these concerns would have been a democratic approach, which the left-wing groups, as usual, ignored,” they said. 

The manner in which these groups attempted to forcibly dismantle the system exposes a deliberate attempt to disrupt campus order and reflects a pattern of aggressive, intolerant, and anti-academic conduct, as per the officials. 

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