NEW DELHI : JNU has been ridden with demonstrations ever since Dr M Jagadesh Kumar, a Telangana native, took over as its Vice Chancellor. In eye of the storm numerous times, the VC is an RSS appointee, who oversees the outfit’s agenda, one step at a time.
It may be recalled that, Jagadesh Kumar had insisted on installing a battle tank inside the campus for what he claimed would nurture patriotism. He also kicked up controversy by inviting Sri Sri Ravishankar on Nehru’s birth anniversary.
On February 9 of 2016, the VC initiated a heavy crackdown on the meeting called by Students Union to protest the hanging of Afzal Guru. At the time, police stormed the campus and arrested the union president Kanhaiya Kumar and few others. The magistrate report into the incident stated that there were no anti-national slogans or acts on part of the students. Despite the endorsement, the police proceeded to mount sedition charges on Kanhaiya and five others.
In Nov 2016, though there arose accounts of ABVP members attacking Najeeb Ahmed before he went missing, the VC chose to ignore the matter. In 2017, a campus rule prohibiting protest in front of the administrative block also triggered unrest. There was also opposition to his move on doing away with written examination for admission purpose. He also attempted to slash seats and overturn reservations.
The ongoing protests relate to his adamancy over implementing fee-hike, that would make the varsity’s high quality education un affordable to common class. The Sunday rampage carried out by RSS elements in the campus- thrashing and breaking skulls of several students by masked men - is part of his connivance to the RSS aims.
