Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry officials met Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday and took stock of the varsity administration’s efforts to restore normalcy on the campus, officials said.
Mr. Kumar, who has been under fire from students and faculty members for not doing enough when they were brutally attacked by a masked mob on the campus, told the officials that the university was trying to facilitate semester registration for “willing” students.
“Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare and G.C. Hosur had a meeting with JNU VC at the Ministry today about the efforts being made to restore normalcy on the campus. He informed the officials about the efforts being made for facilitating semester registration for willing students and a conducive environment for their academic pursuits,” a senior Ministry official said.
On Monday, a team of top officials, including JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar, visited the Ministry and updated the top brass about the situation on the campus besides submitting a detailed report of the sequence of the Sunday incidents. Mr. Kumar was not present at the meeting.
On Tuesday, he appealed to the students to put the past behind them and return to the varsity. “Our heart goes out to all the injured students. The incident [violence] is unfortunate. I would like to tell students that the campus is a secure place. I urge all students to come back to the campus. Let us put the past behind,” he said.
Violence broke out at the university on Sunday night as a group of masked men, armed with sticks, attacked students and teachers and damaged property, prompting the administration to call in the police. At least 35 people, including JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured in the violence. They were admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre and discharged on Monday.
The Left-controlled JNUSU and the RSS-affiliated ABVP blamed each other for the nearly two-hour-long bout of violence.
On Sunday, the Ministry sought an immediate report from the Registrar.
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, who was in Bhubhaneswar a day after the incident, said educational institutions could not be allowed to become “political adda[s]”. He vowed “strong action” against the perpetrators of the JNU violence.
