JNU seminar invitation caught in controversy

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Forum Against War on People organised a talk on development and democracy on Saturday, which had Arundhuti Roy and professor Amit Bhaduri as the main speakers.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Forum Against War on People organised a talk on development and democracy on Saturday, which had Arundhuti Roy and professor Amit Bhaduri as the main speakers.

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However, the invitation for the talk seemed to be controversial.“The meet was organised by ultra-left organisations of the university and the invitation being sent out had a boot with a sign which resembled the national emblem,” said an official of the university.

“The speakers who spoke on pro-naxal lines and some members of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad held a protest outside the venue. The talk began at 9.30pm and went till 12 midnight,” the university official added.

But members of the forum denied any attempt on their part to demean the national emblem.

“The boot represents the army and the sign below signify the people who are being displaced and repressed in the name of Operation Green Hunt,” said Abhiruchi Ojha, a member of the forum.

“Both the speakers spoke on development and the meaning on democracy in the present context,” Ojha added.