Angry over the media’s partisan role in covering the JNU row, the university students shut their doors to outsiders and mediapersons on Saturday. The students did not allow any outsider to enter the university, saying they were not required inside the campus. All through the day, students and teachers were reportedly debating the fate of the students who are on the police radar for allegedly raising anti-national slogans inside the campus on February 9.
The private security guards posted at the entrance of the university denied entry to outsiders and mediapersons. Asked why they were not allowing mediapersons, a security guard said, “We have clear instructions not to allow any outsider into the university campus.”
Several students said that they had restricted the entry of mediapersons as they had been showing their university in a “bad” light. “Ours is a secular institution. We debate. We dissent. That’s what JNU is all about,” a student told this newspaper.
Concerned over the way a section of the media had been highlighting only police-centric reports, some students said that “their voice was being deliberately compromised at the behest of some vested political outfits”. Another student said: “We do not want politicians to score points by sensationalising non-issues. We are students. We have come here to build our careers.”
Outsiders were not granted permission to attend a seven-day programme where professors had been delivering open lectures on democracy. “The lectures are delivered so that people understand the true meaning of democracy, the power of which is currently being misused,” said a professor. Despite being an open lecture, outsiders were not allowed to come. Prof. G. Arunima delivered the third lecture, which was on nationalism, on Wednesday. “We professors do not teach our students anything wrong,” said another professor.
Stand up Comedian Sanjay Rojora also performed at varsity later in the evening. “Rajora’s performance “ Aisi Taisi democracy”, which he performed several times before, is a satire on the joke of a democracy which the RSS has made” said a student.
