JNU fire spreads to Lucknow, protest against professor’s FB post

Protests over the JNU row reached the campus of University of Lucknow on Wednesday as activists of the ABVP sat on a dharna outside the sociology department, protesting against an ‘objectionable’ Facebook post by varsity professor Rajesh Mishra.

Protests over the JNU row reached the campus of University of Lucknow on Wednesday as activists of the ABVP sat on a dharna outside the sociology department, protesting against an ‘objectionable’ Facebook post by varsity professor Rajesh Mishra.

Professor Rajesh Mishra’s original Facebook post.

Raising slogans against Mishra, ABVP activists alleged that in his post, Mishra had claimed that JNU student Umar Khalid was his son. His Facebook post read; “Umar is my son, I want to say. I have never met him. I do not know him. Yet I want to claim him as my son.”

They forced suspension of classes in the sociology department and demanded that the LU authorities take action against Mishra.

The article that professor Rajesh Mishra shared.

When contacted, Mishra said: “I had only shared an article that appeared in an English daily that ABVP activists mistook as my post. I have already edited the post and clarified my position.”

The protesters also demanded that the vice-chancellor receive their memorandum in this regard. Receiving the memorandum, vice-chancellor of LU SB Nimse said an inquiry will conducted into the professor’s FB post and action will be taken against him if found guilty.

Meanwhile, the campus witnessed low turnout of students on Wednesday as some of the students had given a call for a ‘tiranga’ peace march from outside Kailash hostel to Gate 1 of the university.