JNU Students and Teachers protest for removal of VC and action against ‘masked goons’

There has been several students’ agitation since Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar took over charge as Vice Chancellor of JNU in January, 2016 but for the first time the teaches’ union of the university (JNUTA) has categorically said that the peace is not possible under the present VC.

The students and faculty members of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday organized a protest march in the campus demanding immediate removal of the Vice Chancellor Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar. However, a protest march was also planned from Mandi House in New Delhi area to the Head Office of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) at Shastri Bhawan but the police stopped the students at the main gate of the university.

"Delhi Police is here to stop us. They, however, could not stop the ABVP terrorists during the #JNUTerrorAttack. We are protesting the attack on our President, on our students and on our Professors. You should not have dared to attack JNU. We shall fight, we shall win," said JNU Students Union (@JNUSU) in a tweet on Thursday afternoon. "Delhi Police were complicit in #JNUTerrorAttack on 5th January, remaining at the gate for hours, to give free rein to the attackers from outside, on orders of the VC, essentially safeguarding them. Who controls Delhi Police? Connect the dots," he added. The students of Jamia Millia Islamia University and Delhi University also joined the peace march in the campus. At the time of writing the news, the students were negotiating with the police to allow them to go to Mandi House but the police were adamant not to allow them to come outside of the campus.

You came to change our character but here we are...Respect existence or expect resistance. #VCHatao pic.twitter.com/QzMJlMEHbQ

— JNUSU (@JNUSUofficial) January 8, 2020

Besides, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Teachers' Association president DK Lobiyal on Thursday said that establishing peace in the university is difficult under the current Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar. "We will head towards the HRD ministry. Our main objective is to convey to the ministry that under the current VC M Jagadesh Kumar bringing peace in the university is difficult," Professor Lobiyal. It is pertinent to mention that in a meeting with JNU VC, the MHRD had asked him to take the faculty members into confidence and work to restore peace in the campus.

The students and teachers of IIT Delhi, IIT Mumbai, TISS Mumbai, FTII Pune, MANU Hyderabad and other universities have also organized protests in solidarity with the JNU students.

Meanwhile, buckling under the pressure of all round criticism, JNU administration has constituted a five-member team to probe into the January 5 violence in the campus.

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