New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu Thursday appointed Mazhar Asif, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), as the 16th vice chancellor (VC) of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) university. The post had been lying vacant since November last year.
Asif will succeed Najma Akhtar—the first woman V-C of Jamia—whose term ended on 12 November, 2023, after which Professor Eqbal Hussain was appointed officiating VC. Later, in May, Professor Mohammad Shakeel was appointed officiating VC.
In a communication sent to the registrar of Jamia Thursday, the Union Ministry of Education said: “The President of India, in her capacity as the visitor of the JMI, has been pleased to appoint Prof Mazhar Asif, School of Languages, JNU, New Delhi as the vice chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia for a period of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.”
“The terms and conditions of the services of Prof. Mazhar Asif as the vice chancellor of JMI shall be those as set forth in the act, statutes and ordinances of JMI,” it added.
At JNU, Asif’s stint has been marked by controversy. In 2017, the university’s teachers’ association had challenged his appointment to the faculty. Then, in January 2020, the JNU Students’ Union accused several faculty members, including Asif, of inciting violence during a clash on campus that month that left over 30 students injured.
ThePrint reached out to Asif via calls and texts for queries, but he did not respond. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
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Who is Mazhar Asif?
Asif, 53, a professor at JNU’s Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies, earned postgraduate and PhD degrees from JNU and carried out postdoctoral research as well, with his area of specialisation being Sufism and mediaeval history of India. While a student at JNU, he was a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated to the RSS.
Before joining JNU, Asif worked as a faculty member for Persian studies at Gauhati University between 1996 and 2017. He was also a member of the committee that drafted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Asif’s appointment at JNU’s Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies was challenged by the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) in the Delhi High Court in 2017.
“He was a member of the executive council (EC), as a visitor nominee, which takes the final call on appointments when he was recruited. According to norms, one cannot be on the executive committee and also be an applicant,” a senior faculty member at JNU told ThePrint Thursday.
In 2018, Asif was appointed as the acting dean of JNU’s School of Arts and Aesthetics. He was later removed through a court order after a section of teachers moved the Delhi High Court citing violations. He also served as dean of the Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies in 2020.
Asif was a member of the JNU Teachers’ Federation (JNUTF), which was formed in 2019 as a parallel group against JNUTA.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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