‘Installing army tank at JNU will be incongruous’

NEW DELHI: A day after army tank row, senior Congress leader Karan Singh echoed the demand of teachers and students of the premier Jawaharlal Nehru (JNU) against the proposal of Vice– Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar to install an army tank inside the campus” to remind students of the army's sacrifice”.

Former Chancellor and Rajya Shabha MP, Karan Singh, said in statement, “it seems to me that installing a tank would be incongruous and inappropriate. “To acknowledge the bravery and sacrifices of our armed forces, we should choose a symbol and covers of all the three services. For this an imaginatively designed monument to “the Unknown Soldier” would be far preferable,” he added.

He also stated, “I suggest that the varsity set up a small committee and call for designs for leading sculptors in India. The best one could then be chosen and installed at a suitable location within the campus.”

On Monday, the JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) said the university cannot be made into a "theatre of war" and that the JNU was not a "boot camp". The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) alleged that the statement was being made to "fan the February 9 controversy".

Last year, during February, the JNU was rocked by a controversy over the alleged chanting of anti-national slogans by some students. The controversy led to the entire campus being branded as "anti-national" by right-wing groups.