JNU teachers question police action

Jawaharlal Nehru University teachers on Sunday rallied behind protesting students and questioned the varsity decision to allow the police crackdown on the campus even as they appealed to the public not to “brand” the institution as “anti-national.”

The varsity, at present, is in thick of a controversy over an event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The faculty members also claimed that the internal mechanism of the university seems to be completely subverted and autonomy of the institution stands surrendered.

Teachers of 40 Central universities also came out in support of their counterparts and students in JNU protesting the arrest of the its students’ union president in a sedition case.

Students of FTII, who were supported by the JNU students in their protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's chairman, also expressed solidarity with the agitators and accused the BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of harassing and threatening those who dare to oppose its ideology.

The students and teachers also formed a human chain within the campus premises. Students demanding the release of JNUSU president held placards saying “Save JNU”.

Thousands of students and faculty members had gathered for the protest.

“Isn’t it unfair to brand as anti-national the university which has stood as an epitome of academics and democratic culture. Why tarnish its image by calling it a home to anti-nationals We have taught here for years, we know what it is to be at JNU. We appeal to the public to look beyond the present controversy and not to associate the ‘adjective’ anti-national with JNU,” said a JNU faculty member.

Another senior faculty member in the university said, “The university is holding an inquiry, the police is probing the case, the Delhi government has also ordered a magisterial inquiry. Why can’t we wait to see how the situation unfolds Why brand the university as a ground for terrorists ”

The teachers have also come out in support of JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is in police custody on sedition charges in connection with the event, saying even if the students have done anything wrong, it is an issue of indiscipline and not sedition.

Mr Kumar was arrested earlier this week in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised.

The event was held despite the JNU administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by the ABVP members, who had termed it anti-national.

“University is a place of debate and dissent. Ideas should compete with ideas, force and violence cannot be used to suppress ideas. Arbitrary arrests should stop and our internal mechanism should deal with situations,” said another professor, from the varsity’s Centre for Lingu-istics, Ayesha Kidwai.

The teachers have also called for a solidarity march on the campus on Monday evening demanding that Mr Kumar be released and the varsity be left on its own without any police patrolling.

“JNU is known for its democratic ethos. We do not want this kind of tense atmosphere on the campus where students have to be scared as they might be called a terrorist. If some student insults the Constitution, the varsity will penalise him, but do not target students with serious charges like sedition without the varsity probing the matter,” said the JNU Teacher’s Association in a statement.

Cop requests transfer of investigation to special cell Two days after the Delhi police arrested JNU students’ union leader Kanh-aiya Kumar, South Delhi DCP Prem Nath on Sunday wrote a letter to the joint commissioner of police, South-Eastern Range, R.S. Krishnia, requesting him to transfer the probe to the special cell, saying the case required specialised investigation.

The DCP has written in the letter that the matter needs probe regarding the links between JNU students and Afzal Guru as the students were against the death sentence awarded to Afzal Guru. “More-over, the offence falls under scheduled offences which requires specialised investigations. It is therefore, requested that keeping in view of the gravity of offence the investigation of case kindly be transferred to the special cell,” read the letter which is in the possession of this newspaper. Even as the DCP requested transfer of the probe, the case was not transferred to special cell till late Sunday evening.

Sources said that the police has formed several teams to nab 13 students who were allegedly shouting anti-national slogans during the event held on February 9 in the JNU campus.

On the other hand, the Delhi government already ordered an inquiry into the matter. The AAP government had directed the area DM to conduct an inquiry and submit a detailed report. “There are claims that JNU students leaders shouted anti-India slogans and counter claims that ABVP activists did it,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted.

The JNU campus has been on the boil since Friday, when Mr Kumar was arrested and charged with sedition after the programme on Afzal Guru was held. The police is also on the lookout for five other students, who, they say, were involved in the programme. The matter has been politicised, with the Congress, the Left Front — which traditionally dominated students politics in the campus — and Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party attacking the BJP government at the Centre over the arrest.