Massive storm at JNU over Afzal Guru as 'anti-India' slogans raised; university orders disciplinary enquiry

JNU administration ordered a disciplinary enquiry into holding of an event on campus against the hanging of terror convict Afzal Guru.

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University administration on Wednesday ordered a disciplinary enquiry into holding of an event on campus against the hanging of Afzal Guru despite that the event was cancelled by the authorities a day before, on Tuesday.

Terming the act by protesting JNU students as vague, the university authorities maintained that any talk about disintegration of nation cannot be 'national'. Talking to PTI, the authorities said that the committee headed by Chief Proctor of JNU will look into the matter.

"The permission for the programme was sought by giving incomplete information, so it is an act of indiscipline. A committee headed by the Chief Proctor will examine the footage of the event and speak to the witnesses. It is on basis of the report, the varsity will take appropriate action," JNU Vice Chancellor (VC) Jagdeesh Kumar told PTI.

A group of students organised a programme and termed the hanging of the Parliament attack convict as judicial killing. The student organisers of the event pasted posters across the campus inviting the students to gather for a protest march against judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt and in solidarity with struggle of Kashmiri migrants, at varsity's Sabarmati dhaba yesterday.

On Tuesday, ABVP members wrote to the Vice Chancellor that such kind of marches should not be held on campus of an educational institution, prompting the university administration to order cancellation of the march as they feared that it might disrupt peace on campus.

But the organisers went ahead with the event despite the cancellation of the permission and held a cultural programme, art and photo exhibition on the issue rather than a protest.

Agitated over the issue, ABVP members gathered outside VC office and shouted slogans demanding expulsion of the students.

JNU students’ union joint secretary Saurabh Kumar, who is the only ABVP member in the union, said, “How can an event on Afzal Guru, who attacked the temple of democracy, be held? We are demanding expulsion of those who organised it”. “This was an anti-national event. When we tried to stop them from holding a march, I was shown a gun. They raised anti-India slogans and for freedom of Kashmir,” Kumar alleged.

The decision of ordering an enquiry was taken by the VC after he met the agitating students.

“The VC has told us that an enquiry has been ordered and based on the report action will be taken. But we will approach the HRD ministry as well as the Home Ministry demanding that the students who contributed to this “anti-national” activity be expelled,” President of ABVP’s JNU unit Alok Singh told PTI.

Meanwhile, police officials said that a complaint in this regard has been received from the agitating students and the matter is being looked into.  

(With inputs from PTI)