JNU violence: CPI(M) demands immediate sacking of VC

The CPI(M) on Monday demanded immediate sacking of JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, alleging that he allowed rampage against students to continue on the university premises. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the buck stops with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and he should answer on the whole issue.

"Fix the accountability and punish those who are responsible for this," he said at a press conference here. His remarks came a day after violence broke out at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Sunday night as masked men armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus.

At least 28 people, including JNU students' union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours. Condemning the incident, the CPI(M) said, "The vice-chancellor, who has been instrumental in systematically undermining and dismantling the country's premier university, had permitted this rampage to go on unchecked for hours."

"The vice-chancellor should be sacked for this complicity in permitting this attack. Sacking VC is essential for restoring normalcy on the campus. The President of India as the visitor of the university must immediately sack the vice-chancellor and ensure that normalcy prevails in the campus," the party said in a statement. Yechury said two cabinet ministers also tweeted on the issue, referring to Union ministers and JNU alumni S Jaishankar and Nirmala Sitharaman.

"JNU teaches a very very deep commitment to democracy and secularism," Yechury added.