What is wrong in burning Manusmriti: JNU students ask university

JNU students who were asked to “explain their position” questioned the university about what is wrong in burning the Manusmriti.

JNU students who were asked by the university to “explain their position” in connection with burning the copies of ancient text Manusmriti, have questioned the administration about what is wrong in it.

Former ABVP members who left the RSS' student outfit citing differences over its handling of the JNU row, burn a copy of the Manusmriti, in New Delhi. (PTI File Photo)

Weeks after the controversial event against Afzal Guru’s hanging was held on the campus, five ABVP rebels joined by left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) and Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) burned sections of Manusmriti at the Sabarmati Dhaba on March 8, which was also the venue of the earlier event.

The JNU administration had last week issued notices to five students asking them to explain their “position” in connection with the event despite the varsity administration denying permission for it.

“What is wrong in burning copies of Manusmriti? Protesting against anything that we find derogatory is our right. Also this is not the first time that copies of that book have been burned by us,” one of the students said.

Former ABVP office-bearer, Pradeep Narwal, who had resigned from the party citing differences over the current row at the university, was one of the main organisers of the event.

He is yet to respond to the notice served to him.

“I got the notice today itself as I wasn’t in the university. I am yet to respond to it but what is the problem in burning the copies of something we do not agree with? We have not burned the entire book but only the portions that we find objectionable,” he said.

While three of the organisers were former ABVP office-bearers, two of them are still with the party but differ with their stand on Manusmriti.

The university administration had then maintained that they had denied permission for the event and the security was briefed about the same.