Students’ protest, open lectures by teachers keeps JNU abuzz

The Jawaharlal Nehru University campus witnessed a charged atmosphere on Wednesday with students sloganeering, political leader Brinda Karat supporting them, and teachers holding open lectures.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University campus witnessed a charged atmosphere on Wednesday with students sloganeering, political leader Brinda Karat supporting them, and teachers holding open lectures.

The JNU students protesting against the arrest of their president Kanahiya Kumar at JNU Campus in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday(Hindustan Times)

Students sat outside the administrative block, firm that they will not go to class till student union president Kanhaiya Kumar is released.

“Our leader is getting attacked in front of the police… He has been falsely branded as anti-national. Had the police acted against those lawyers the other day, they would have not had guts to attack Kumar again,” said Suneyna, a student from the School of Social Sciences.

Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Karat told students that the JNU issue was raised with the Prime Minister at an all-party meeting.

She said they demanded the resignation of Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi.

“Today justice had been hijacked by a gang of goons in court… Bassi said it’s a small incident when teachers and students were beaten up by lawyers. Biggest anti-nationals are sitting in central government and the people sitting around the government like RSS,” said Karat.

Students also raised an objection to DSF being named in the Delhi Police special branch report.

“The… report mentions… Democratic Students’ Front as a ‘hidden student group’ which is described as ‘volatile and reactive’… We challenge the Delhi Police to provide even a shred of evidence regarding the activities attributed to us,” said Democratic Students Federation member and former JNUSU president Lenin Kumar.

Meanwhile, teachers called off their strike and one of the professors held an open lecture in the administrative block on “What is a nation?”