New Delhi: Following incidents of violence on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, senior officials from the Union human resource development ministry met representatives from the University on Monday and took stock of the situation. The meeting took place without the presence of vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar.
The meet was attended by the JNU registrar, proctor and other administrative officials who briefed the HRD ministry officials on the sequence of events that unfolded on the campus and the measures taken to restore normalcy.
“HRD secretary Amit Khare held a meeting with team of JNU authorities, including Pro-VC Chintamani Mahapatra, registrar Promod Kumar, rector Rana Pratap Singh and proctor Dhananjay Singh. The secretary held detailed discussion with them and was also briefed about the current situation in JNU,” HRD ministry sources said.
Meanwhile, the proctor appealed to the students to not panic and leave the campus. “We appeal to students not to panic and leave the campus. Measures are being taken to normalise the situation on the campus and ensure everyone’s safety,” he said after the meeting.
The ministry had on Sunday sought an immediate report from JNU registrar after the violence broke out and students and teachers were attacked. There was heavy deployment of police on Monday outside the Shastri Bhawan here which houses the HRD ministry.
“A detailed report has been sent to the HRD ministry about the sequence of events. The top administration officials are at the ministry to provide all details leading to present situation,” JNU vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar told agencies.
Violence broke out at the JNU campus on Sunday night as a group of masked people armed with sticks attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus, prompting the administration to call in the police.
The Left-controlled JNUSU and the ABVP blamed each other for the violence that continued for nearly two hours. Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ urged JNU students to maintain the dignity of the university.
