JNU violence: HRD meeting with university officials concludes, V-C Jagadesh Kumar stays away

The ministry had on Sunday sought an immediate report from JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar after the violence broke out and as many as 26 students and teachers were injured after a group of masked men wielding sticks, rods and sledgehammers terrorised the varsity for close to three hours. Eyewitnesses said the attacks were carried out by the ABVP — a charge the RSS student outfit denied.

“A detailed report has been sent to the HRD Ministry about the sequence of events. The top administration officials are at the Ministry to provide all details leading to present situation,” JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar told PTI.

Earlier today, Kumar appealed to all students to maintain peace, saying top priority of varsity is to protect the academic interests of students. “Would like to appeal to all students to maintain peace. The University stands by all students to facilitate their pursuit of academic activities. We will ensure that their winter semester registration will take place without any hindrance. They need not fear about their process,” he said in a statement.

He added that the JNU administration will use all possible means to protect the safety and security of the students.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union on Monday accused Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar of behaving like a “mobster” and “perpetrating violence” in the varsity. The union called for his resignation or demanded that he must be removed by the HRD Ministry.

Accusing the VC of “cowardly” introducing “illegal policies through the backdoor,” the JNUSU alleged that the violence on Sunday night was the result of his “desperation and frustration.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and requested him to call representatives from JNU for discussions as protests against Sunday’s violence erupted across the country. Students from various colleges in Mumbai and those in Aligarh Muslim University and Jadavpur University in Kolkata held overnight peaceful protests in solidarity with their counterparts in JNU. Delhi Police, on the other hand, registered a case against unidentified people under the section of rioting and damage to property.