NKC thought he can stifle the students. Well, it'll backfire terribly. In addition to GNLU and RMLNLU, at least 6-7 more NLUs are expected to issue statements of solidarity in the coming days. The attempted moral shaming of a girl student has upset a lot of people.

Meanwhile, the election results suggest that the TMC is on its way out of power, NKC will not get help from outside Bengal. Remember that the Congress and BJP are anyway against the TMC in Bengal, as is the Left. SC judges, academics and politicians outside Bengal have no reason to support NKC.

Oh, you naive child. They have some of the oldest reasons in the world. The world of academia is one full of quid pro quo, coteries and favours. If you think that you can remove him just by sending an occasional petition, then you're sadly mistaken. Activism requires more than that. Remember PIB?

Well, there may be coteries in politics and academia as you say, but nationally these coteries are dominated by the BJP, Congress and Left. Regional parties like the TMC, DMK and RJD have no clout behind their states. Furthermore, at least the DMK and RJD are Congress/Left allies, whereas Mamata fights with them. She has no friends in any national party.

So who is exactly is going to back NKC outside Bengal?

There is a very cultured lady standing from my constituency (South Kolkata) as a CPI(M) candidate. Her name is Saira Shah Halim. She is the daughter of a former army general and the niece of the actor Nasiruddin Shah. She has always conducted herself with the dignity expected from someone from such a family, despite facing vicious abuse and trolling from the TMC IT cell.

Another good person who is an NUJS alum who is also standing for elections from Howrah from the Left (Sabyasachi Chatterjee). I feel such educated politicians should be contacted by NUJS to seek support. From the BJP, the students may contact Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay and from the Congress they can contact Adhir Chowdhury. This will put a lot of pressure on NKC.

We could do with a little less of the cynicism, if that's all the same to you. As someone who apparently knows a lot about activism strategies, you seem to have forgotten (or have failed to appreciate) the inherent value of bad publicity (both eventualities would be very surprising). NUJS needs bad publicity as much as NLSIU needs people who set off firecrackers in his room when he was teaching at NUJS to stop shitposting about Sudhir on here.

Listen, those of you who think the TMC will lose on Tuesday and NKC will be weakened are mistaken. The TMC will not lose for 2 simple reasons:

1. Mathematics: 30% of the Muslim vote in the TMC's favour and the remaining 70% split between the BJP and Left/Congress.

2. Reality: Mass rigging and violence by TMC goons.

Thus, NKC is absolutely secure and he may double down by instituting probes and enquiries against students, backed by the EC. So only Chandrachud can kick him out.

Chandu has proven to be a completely worthless Chancellor. He didn't bother to visit at least once, did not hold a single convo, did not connect with the students or bother to find out what is happening on ground level, nor start a long overdue second URC or look into the recos of the first that have not been implemented yet.

These statements of solidarity have not been issued formally by the student body/association of the respective NLUs. Also is this entire thing passing the smell test? SJA issues solidarity statement but what about faculty and non-teaching members of NUJS? Sure, the VC has his acolytes but what about the so-called silent majority? Why not even a squeak from them?

In the past, the non-teaching staff had even petitioned the EC to allow a former registrar to continue after the SJA had exposed her dodgy dealings. So, why no open expression of love/support for the associate professor even from her allies within NUJS?

NKC and Co are already going after the SJA Prez. It is no longer an anonymous complaint against the Prez. Two boys have signed off on that complaint. Question is did she actually go to the male hostel and why and why repeatedly? The rules are stupid but the Prez accepted the rules. NKC will definitely use this opportunity to dilute the credibility of the Prez, SJA and may even try to make her resign.

For those thinking that a BJP surge here will salvage us from the morass, please wake up. BJP has literally given a walkover to TMC in at least 10 seats. One needn't go far. Just consider the folks it put up for Kolkata South, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Sreerampore, Krishnanagar, Bolpur, Asansol and some more seats. Many are TMC strongholds. But what about putting up a good fight, like the upset caused by Smriti Irani?

Also have you ever considered why the central govt never issued notification for the transfer of SS to Cuttack despite Collegium clearance? The same SS wasn't exactly "pro-BJP" in the 5-judge bench constituted by the then Acting CJ Bindal (now in SC) to hear matters relating to the arrest of four heavyweight TMC politicos.

NKC will continue till 2026. Ofc he wants a full second term to be granted right now. But that's not going to happen anyway. The associate professor overreached. Now the investigation by LCC will amble along and finally state insufficient evidence. Univ will continue rolling downhill and employable students will get jobs et al.

Business as usual. Thanks for the entertainment. Could have been a lot better. The standard is 2018 or at least 2014 when the SJA was able to get the HC to send a retired a HC judge to lead an inquiry which damned the PIB administration.

Cautionary tale: despite the stinging report, PIB was given full second term in 2016 unanimously by the EC.

Inspiring tale: SJA understood how it was misled by a then assistant professor (whose deal with PIB had gone sour) and now an associate professor. SJA took corrective measures; carved an independent position, access to information, remained apolitical and alert to faculty/staff politics and achieved success in 2018. Even collaborated in successful evictions in CNLU, HNLU and RGNUL.