The Centre for Historical Studies (CHS) library at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will remain in the same building, said an official notice released by the university on Friday.
The students of CHS organized a week-long protest in reaction to the JNU administration’s arbitrary decision to shut down the CHS library, which houses important books and documents. This library is home to a unique assortment of historical books and serves as a vital documentation center. Within its shelves, the CHS library safeguards around 18,000 books, doctoral theses, and donated journals that were funded by the UGC exclusively for reference purposes.
On August 4, the university administration released a circular announcing the transformation of the CHS library building into a dedicated Centre for Tamil Studies. Subsequently, a sign designating the establishment as a specialized center for Tamil studies was prominently exhibited outside the CHS library.
“The decision to convert the CHS library into a Centre for Tamil studies was made without notifying the students of CHS. They removed the CHS library board and replaced it with the Tamil Centre board and began relocating the books. It was only when we intervened to stop the process that they issued a notice stating that the CHS library was being shifted to the Exam bank library,” explained a student from the Center for Historical Studies (CHS).
On 8 August, the students of CHS released a statement against the shutting down of the CHS library building. The statement read: “The student community of the Centre for Historical Studies (CHS) strongly condemns the shut-down of the CHS library without any prior intimation by the JNU administration. The news about the closure of the library comes as a shock to the students of the CHS, reflecting how the true stakeholders of the centre – The students themselves have not been consulted or even officially informed about the matter. The attempt by the JNU administration to close down a place of such academic and historical impotence is shameful.”
Last year, JNU officials obtained 10 crore rupees from the Tamil Nadu government to set up an independent department dedicated to Tamil Literary Studies. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K Stalin, personally presented a 5 crore rupee cheque to Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, the University’s Vice Chancellor to support the initiative.
Saib Bilaval, currently a PhD scholar at CHS and a former JNUSU Presidential Candidate (2018) was at the forefront of the protest. He stated that they were all outraged at seeing their department library books being packed up and relocated.
“That’s how our movement started from scratch. Our movement was one of self- organising, without the union or student organisation leading us. This might be the first time in perhaps half a decade that JNU students fought the admin and won without having to go to court,” Bilaval said.
The students of CHS took to the ground, preventing books from being shifted, holding events at the library and sending delegation to university officials multiple times. Their efforts extended to creating public pressure by social media campaigning, a signature campaign that received 2200+ signatures along with media coverage to build public pressure.
Another student from the Centre for Historical Studies said to Maktoob that this action should be viewed within a broader political context of the weaponization of history by right-wing forces.
“CHS has consistently represented a dissenting voice, and undermining spaces like libraries and reading rooms is crucial for the right-wing agenda,” he said.
“JNU admin’s decision led by our current VC to close/relocate CHS is unfortunate, this drastic step will affect the broader JNU community. It is evident that VC has not consulted the stakeholders before taking such drastic steps. The current admin lacks understanding of federalism and has no idea that this university is a product of students and faculty deliberation. She must utilise the newly given fund to expand JNU and establish a new centre rather than complicating or compromising the existing infrastructure,” said Nitin Raj, research scholar, SAA, JNU.
The students of CHS also conveyed their appreciation to numerous historians, academics, politicians, journalists, and activists who showed solidarity with the protesters throughout the week.
A group of prominent historians and former CHS faculty including Romila Thapar, Harbans Mukhia and Aditya Mukherjee, among others, have expressed their concerns by writing to Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Vice Chancellor, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, against the relocation of the Centre for Historical Studies (CHS) library.
The historians, who are also former faculty members of the Centre for Historical Studies , said: “CHS received a Department of Special Assistance status from UGC in the late 1980s that was aimed at developing research and teaching at the centre. The faculty requested that the grant promised be allowed to be used not for more faculty positions… but to build an exclusive departmental library of CHS, necessary for teaching and research at an advanced level.”
“Permission was given and the grant received was used to construct the CHS library building. It may be noted that the CHS faculty, in fact, gave up its own promotion avenues by choosing to build the library rather than receive more posts… As faculty who have nurtured this institution over the past several decades, we feel that the library’s relocation and dispersal would essentially destroy this fine institution,” it stated.
Ramchandra Guha, historian and author also appealed everyone to join the signature campaign to save the CHS library on X.
D. Ravikumar – Member of Lok Sabha from Viluppuram constituency of Tamil Nadu who was the key link in the allocation of 10 crores that came from Tamil Nadu government for Special Centre for Tamil Studies also supported the petition to save the CHS library by writing to the Vice Chancellor of the varsity.
He assured the students that the CHS library will not be dismantled and the Centre for Tamil Studies will have a new infrastructure.
However, the week-long protest concluded on a positive tone following the release of an official statement by the university administration, reversing its previous decision and providing assurance that the CHS library will remain as it is.
The students of CHS released a statement thanking everyone who stood in solidarity with them in this struggle.
“We, the students of CHS, JNU express our gratitude to all those who stood with us in our fight to save the CHS library. Eminent historians, academicians, member of parliament, public intellectuals, lawyers, activists, librarians, scientists, journalists and students from across the globe stood in solidarity with the students of CHS and this support became our strength while we put up a struggle on ground.”
“Library is not an act of generosity from the administration but a fundamental right of students and with our collective effort. The students of CHS were able to retain the fundamental right,” read the statement.
 library at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will remain in the same building, said an official notice released by the university on Friday.){kind=link}