Violence was never part of JNU culture, says former VC Sudhir Kumar Sopory

Former Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Sudhir Kumar Sopory said that the culture of violence was never there in the University.

Talking to ANI, Sopory stated that earlier they used to follow "discussion, debate, demonstration and after that decision."

"Tod fod ka culture to kabhi tha nahi hamare JNU me. The culture of violence was never there (Violence ka culture kabhi nahi raha). Discussion, debate, demonstration and after that decision - we used to do this. There are different components of the institution - students, teachers, workers, others. The final decision is taken in the interest of all and the institution, that's important," Sopory told ANI here.

Sopory, who has experience of working at JNU for over 25 years, said that the recent incidents of violence at the campus are "very disheartening."

"Such situations occur because of mistrust and it's the lack of communication that decreases trust level," he said.

"I think the administration should take the initiative to talk to students. When I was there, my doors were always open. I always had a diary of the demands of the students. For demands which could be fulfilled, measures were taken accordingly," he said.