Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the effigy burning incident on campus on Dusshera.
Some students belonging to the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on Tuesday night burnt an effigy with 10 heads that included those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, Baba Ramdev, Sadhvi Pragya, Nathuram Godse, Asaram Bapu and their own Vice-Chancellor.
“Desirable norms
of behaviour”
In a statement issued on Thursday, the NSUI said although the organisation does not encourage the practice of effigy burning as their organisational code of conduct in its “desirable norms of behaviour” dejects effigy burning as a form of protest, it is a completely democratic and acceptable form of marking protest.
The organisation supported the purpose of the demonstration by the NSUI unit in JNU — which was protesting against the imposition of RSS ideology on the students within educational institutions.
“Since Vijayadashami marks the victory of good over evil, this demonstration was meant to mark the defeat of ‘evil’ RSS ideology. In between debates on the form of protest, the intention behind it is getting defeated,” the NSUI said.
‘Appear before Proctor’
Meanwhile, the JNU administration issued show cause notices to students allegedly involved in the incident. University officials said the students have been asked to appear before the Proctor and explain their position in this regard.
The move comes nearly a week after the varsity ordered a proctorial inquiry into burning of effigy of Gujarat government and cow vigilantes, and issued show cause notices to the students concerned.
NSUI members said the visages of Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah were chosen in to protest against the Centre’s “failure” to honour its promises and the “continuous attacks” on various educational institutions across the country.
While JNU officials maintained that no permission was sought for the event, the organisers claimed that effigy burning was a “routine” thing on campus and did not require permission from the administration.
(With inputs from PTI)
