JNU asks centres to install CCTVs after walls defaced

NEW DELHI: A day after several walls and faculty rooms of the School of International Studies (SIS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were allegedly defaced with slogans against certain “upper-caste communities”, the varsity’s administration advised all centres under it to install CCTV cameras on each floor.

The advisory, issued by JNU’s chief security officer, also suggested that all schools and centres in JNU have a single entry/ exit point, maintain an entry/exit register, and ensure adequate lighting of corridors.

The walls and faculty rooms of the SIS were allegedly defaced on Wednesday night with slogans against upper-caste community. Photos of the purported defacement were shared on social media on Thursday by the

Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the JNU Teachers Forum (JNUTF) -- a breakaway faction of the elected teachers’ body JNU Te a c h e r s ’ Association (JNUTA).

The ABVP accused Leftaligned student bodies of the vandalism. The JNUTA too demanded an investigation into the incident.

Subsequently, the JNU administration said vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit has taken note of the incident, and that a panel will look into the matter. In a written statement issued on Friday, the administration said Pandit interacted with students, staff, and faculty members and asked them to stay vigilant so that similar incidents are prevented in future. “The vicechancellor has appealed to the JNU community to maintain the JNU ethos of inclusion, equality and harmony in the campus,” the statement said.