Days after a mob vandalised the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus and attacked students and teachers, JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar has now alleged that the data centre of the university was targeted by some students ahead of the violence, which accounted for the lack of CCTV footage.
In an interview to India Today, he said that on 3 January, two days before Sunday's violence, "about 10 to 12 students" who had their faces "completely covered with clothes" abused the staff in the data centre and "took control".
“That is what happened on the 5th. Our data centre was down, and many of our CCTV cameras were unable to capture the data,” Kumar further said.
The VC also raised questions on the intent of protesting students.
"If those students are working for a right cause, why should they cover their faces?They could have simply protested," he said.
HRD Ministry Asks VC to Communicate More
HRD Ministry officials on Wednesday "advised" JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar to increase communication with students, take the faculty into confidence and facilitate the semester registration process, news agency PTI reported.
"Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare and G C Hosur had a meeting with JNU VC at the Ministry today about the efforts being made to restore normalcy on campus. He informed the officials about efforts being made for facilitating semester registration for willing students and a conducive environment for their academic pursuits," a senior ministry official said, according to PTI.
(With inputs from India Today and PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)