A group of retired Army personnel, who are alumni of JNU, on Tuesday met vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar to express their concern over the ongoing controversy in the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
After meeting the V-C, the ex-servicemen said that they will not return their degrees as they are proud to be associated with the university. They also suggested that nationalism must be instilled in the JNU students and there should be regular interactions among soldiers of nation and students.
Lt. Gen. Niranjan Singh Malik (Retd.) said that regular interaction among Army personnel and the JNU students will help everyone by instilling nationalism among the students. “Apart from regular interactions, there should be a Wall of Fame where pictures of great heroes are placed or a symbol of great act of Army personnel should be displayed. Such small thing will help us instilling nationalism among the students,” added Gen. Malik (Retd).
The ex-servicemen of 54th NDA course had last week written to the vice-chancellor, saying they find it difficult to be associated with an institution that has become a hub of anti-national activities.
“Why should we return our degrees It is our alma mater. We came to meet the V-C to express our concerns over the controversy. We have not raised any demands. Armed forces are not the people who do such things,” said Gen. Malik (Retd.) after the meeting.
Lt. Gen. Dalbir Singh (Retd.) said, “We are patriots and we believe that people on campus should also follow our examples. We have nothing to comment on the present controversy.”
“We feel that present activities in JNU campus negate the sacrifices made by past degree holders of the university and would therefore want to return our prized and well earned degrees to your institution if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the university campus.”
