Will file police plaint over vandalism on JNU campus: V-C
Vivekananda statue on JNU campus defaced, administration to initiate inquiry; student outfits trade charges
NEWDELHI: A day after students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) allegedly defaced the administrative building with graffiti and “anti- administration” slogans, vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar Thursday said the university will file a police complaint over the incidents of vandalism and defacement.
On Thursday, the yet-to-be-unveiled statue of Swami Vivekananda, outside the administrative building, was defaced.
The photographs of the statue, with objectionable messages written on its base, was widely shared on different social media platforms, following which members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accused the Left-wing student groups of the act.
The V-C said the administration is preparing a detailed complaint based on the evidence collected from eyewitnesses and CCTV cameras. “The vandalism is completely unacceptable. We have enough evidence to identify the culprits. We are preparing a detailed complaint to be submitted to the police. We also had a meeting with top police officers to discuss the issue,” he said.
Kumar further said the university will also initiate an internal inquiry against students found guilty of defacement. “Once the FIR is filed, the chief proctor will initiate a parallel internal inquiry. We will take stringent action against those found guilty. The incident is in violation of the Delhi Defacement of Public Property Act — this is a criminal act,” Kumar said.
Kumar also tweeted about the incident, “Vandalising Swami Vivekananda statue at JNU admin block which is yet to be unveiled is the most despicable act one can commit. Swami Vivekananda
is India’s youth icon. Disrespecting him in our University by some miscreants is not yet all acceptable (sic).”
In July, the administration had prohibited pasting of posters and banners on campus walls, citing the defacement Act. The administration had said that posters would be allowed only on designated boards within the campus. On Wednesday, students had allegedly painted walls and floors of the admin building with slogans against the administration and put soot on their nameboards, allegedly during their protest against changes to the hostel manual and a proposed fee hike.
JNU students’ union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh said the administration is trying to “intimidate” students. “We are not going to stop our protest against the new hostel manual. The V-C is suddenly citing the Delhi Defacement Act, but graffiti and posters have always been a part of the JNU culture,” she said.
Student groups have been protesting for the past three weeks against changes made to the hostel manual and a proposed hike in fee. On Monday, around 1,500 students had gathered outside the AICTE building, the venue of the university’s third convocation, and shouted slogans against the administration.
The protesters had refused to let Union Human Resource Development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, the guest of honour of the function, the V-C and other dignitaries leave the premises for several hours. They were later rescued by police.
Although the administration Wednesday partially rolled back the hostel fee for students from below poverty line (BPL) families, the JNUSU continued its protest Thursday demanding a complete withdrawal of the new hostel manual.
After protests, the admin rolled back the one-time refundable mess security deposit for students of all categories. It had earlier been proposed to be revised from the existing ₹5,500 to ₹12,000. However, the newly introduced monthly service charge of around ₹1,700 is still there.
In response to ABVP accusing Left parties of defacing the statue, JNUSU members said the ABVP was trying to “divert the attention from the issue at hand”.