Worse than insult: Shashi Tharoor slams JNU for asking CV from Romila Thapar

Thapar, who remained as a JNU professor for decades, was given the prestigious position of emeriti professor in the university.

As per media reports, the 87-year old historian has been asked to submit the CV which was succeeded by a criticism from the Left-winged students.

Slamming the move, Tharoor, an MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, tweeted, "JNU asking Romila Thapar to submit a cv to JNU to continue her Professor Emerita status is worse than an insult, it is a crime against the values & principles of education & respect for intellectual merit. Can JNU sink any lower?"

In a statement, the JNU administration said the university will have to write to all those professors, who have attained the age of 75, asking for their CVs.

The statement has been quoted by India Today, "As per the ordinance, the university is required to write to all those who have attained the age of 75 years to know their availability and their willingness to continue their association with the university. Letters have been written only to those emeritus professors who fall in this category." 

"Writing these letters as per the ordinance is not for discontinuation but for an informed review by the executive council, the highest statutory body of the university. Such a review is consistent with the practices at other reputed universities such as MIT and Princeton University where, as given below, the university has the right to review the academic contributions of the emeritus professors. They even have the right to rescind such appointments," it added.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students' union of right-wing organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has stayed away from commenting on the issue.