JNU violence: HRD Ministry meets univ officials, VC Jagadesh Kumar stays away

PTI, Jan 6, 2020, 4:55 PM IST

New Delhi: The HRD Ministry met officials from the JNU administration on Monday and took stock of the situation on the campus following Sunday’s violence, even as Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar skipped the meeting.

It was attended by the JNU registrar, proctor and other admin officials who briefed the ministry officials on the sequence of events that unfolded on the campus and the measures taken to restore normalcy.

“HRD Secretary Amit Khare held a meeting with a team of JNU authorities, including Pro-VC Chintamani Mahapatra, Registrar Promod Kumar, Rector Rana Pratap Singh, and Proctor Dhananjay Singh, today. The secretary held a detailed discussion with them and was also briefed about the current situation in JNU,” a senior HRD Ministry official said.

The ministry had on Sunday sought an immediate report from JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar after the violence broke out and students and teachers were attacked.

There was heavy deployment of police on Monday outside the Shashtri Bhawan here which houses the HRD Ministry.

“A detailed report has been sent to the HRD Ministry about the sequence of events. The top administration officials are at the ministry to provide all details leading to the present situation,” JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar told PTI.

Violence broke out at the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday night as a group of masked people armed with sticks attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus, prompting the administration to call in the police.

Many sustained injuries and were admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre here. They were discharged on Monday. JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh suffered a head injury.

The Left-controlled JNUSU and the ABVP blamed each other for the violence that continued for nearly two hours. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ had urged JNU students to maintain the dignity of the university and peace on campus.

JNU Proctor Dhananjay Singh appealed the students to not panic and leave the campus.

“We appeal to students to not panic and leave the campus. Measures are being taken to normalize the situation on the campus and ensure the safety of everyone,” he said after the meeting at the HRD Ministry.