JNU Orders Disciplinary Enquiry into Afzal Guru Event

JNU administration said that the event organised by students amounted to “indiscipline”.

The administration of Jawaharlal Nehru University ordered a “disciplinary” enquiry into holding of an event on campus. The event, against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, went on despite cancellation of permission, on Monday.

The university’s move came in wake of protests by ABVP members, outside the Vice Chancellor’s office, demanding expulsion of students who “misled” the university about nature of the event.

Maintaining that the event organised by students amounted to “indiscipline”, the university authorities said it will investigate the matter and prepare a report. A committee has been formed for the purpose and is headed by the Chief Proctor of the university.

The permission for the programme was sought by giving incomplete information, so it is an act of indiscipline. A committee headed by the Chief Proctor will examine the footage of the event and speak to the witnesses. It is on basis of the report, the varsity will take appropriate action.

Jagdeesh Kumar, Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University

The student organisers of the event had pasted posters across the campus inviting people for a protest march against “judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt”. The event was reportedly in solidarity with “struggle of Kashmiri people for their democratic right to self determination” on Tuesday.

Briefing about the “incomplete information”, the varsity Registrar Bhupinder Zutshi said:

There was nowhere mentioned in the permission request that the event will be on Afzal Guru, they just said that they wanted to organise a cultural event. How can any talk about disintegration of nation be national?

ABVP members objected to the event and wrote to the Vice Chancellor that such kind of marches should not be held on campus of an educational institution.

This prompted the university administration to order cancellation of the march as they “feared” that it might “disrupt” peace on campus.

Agitated over the issue, ABVP members shouted slogans demanding expulsion of the students who contributed to the “anti-national” activity.