JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar who has not been seen anywhere since the brutal attack by mask men at the university campus on Sunday evening, is not available even for the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry!
The man who should have been there to pacify the violence, skipped a high-level meeting convened by HRD Secretary Amit Khare to take stock of the situation at JNU in the aftermath of massive violence. The HRD Ministry on Monday had summoned the entire JNU administration to review the steps taken to control the situation.
Sources in the Ministry said for almost few minutes, the JNU officials kept conveying that the V-C was on his way and will reach shortly for the meeting which lasted for almost two hours in the afternoon.
During the meeting, the JNU administration apprised the HRD Ministry of what led to the Sunday’s violence at the campus. A source present in the meeting said a JNU administrative official complained about the “lackadaisical” approach of the V-C who was already informed about the situation prevailing and was briefed that situation might “worsen” in the campus as “restlessness” was observed within the student community.
The official was however interrupted by another JNU official saying that Kumar was very much peeved about the second such incident in the campus and has sought time from “two cabinet” ministers to brief them about the prevailing condition in the campus in last couple of months.
With the Home Minister Amit Shah himself asking for immediate reports into the incident from Delhi L-G as well as Delhi Police, HRD Ministry too is preparing a detailed report based on the two page facts provided by JNU administration.
“HRD Secretary Amit Khare held a meeting with a team of JNU authorities, including Pro-VC Chintamani Mahapatra, Registrar Promod Kumar, Rector Rana Pratap Singh and Proctor Dhananjay Singh. The secretary held a detailed discussion with them and was also briefed about the current situation in JNU,” a senior HRD Ministry official said. There was heavy deployment of police on Monday outside the Shashtri Bhawan which houses the HRD Ministry. Though the V-C remained confined, he took to social media to express his displeasure over the incident.
Sources also said the incumbent HRD Secretary is also treading in the matter cautiously as his predecessor R Subramanyam was axed from HRD last month after the JNU fee related agitation. Subramanyan during a top level meeting of HRD Ministry to resolve the fee agitation had advocated for the JNU Students’ concern and in the meeting it was pointed that he himself is a JNU alumni.
The Ministry had on Sunday sought an immediate report from JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar after the violence broke out and students and teachers were attacked. JNU registrar, proctor and other admin officials were briefed the ministry officials on the sequence of events that unfoded on the campus and the measures taken to restore normalcy.
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal asserted educational institutions cannot be allowed to become “political adda”, and vowed “strong action” against the perpetrators of violence at JNU. “I have said this earlier also that these autonomous institutions cannot be allowed to become political ‘adda’ (dens). Strong action will be initiated against people involved in such an attack,” Pokhriyal said on the sidelines of an event in Bhubaneshwar. The HRD Minister urged JNU students to maintain the dignity of the university and peace on campus.
Violence broke out in the campus 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. Many sustained injuries and were admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre here. They were discharged on Monday. JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh suffered a head injury.