JNU asks centres to install CCTVs after walls defaced

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.

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.

New Delhi: Delhi police vehicles are seen parked at admin block of JNU Campus in New Delhi, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. A team of Delhi Police's Crime branch on Monday visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University and questioned three students, including Aishe Ghosh in connection with the January 5 violence on the varsity's campus. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)(PTI1_13_2020_000146B) (PTI)

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 administration also stated that orientation programmes aimed at sensitising the JNU community should be conducted from time to time.

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 Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA).

The ABVP accused Left-aligned student bodies of the vandalism. In a statement, the ABVP said a lack of punitive action from the administration would indicate that such acts were being done in connivance with the JNU administration.

The JNUTA too demanded an investigation into the incident. “The doors have been spray painted with graffiti inciting caste divide which is nothing but an ugly expression of invective directed at the political allegiance of the victimised teachers,” the body said.

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.

The JNU students union (JNUSU) also sought strict action from the administration. The students’ body said that several similar incidents had taken place on campus in the past few years “This is not the first time that these acts have been committed in JNU. Earlier this year, an anti-Muslim statement written by unknown persons across JNU’s walls. Such statements are clearly meant to disturb the normalcy of the campus by vitiating the campus environment,” said JNUSU.

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 vice-chancellor has appealed to the JNU community to maintain the JNU ethos of inclusion, equality and harmony in the campus,” the statement said.