Ex-servicemen meet JNU VC, say will not return their degrees

A group of retired Army personnel, who are alumni of JNU, today met Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar amid a raging row at the varsity and said they will not return their degrees.
"Why should we return our degrees? It is our alma mater. We came to meet the VC to express our concerns over the controversy. We have not raised any demands. Armed forces are not the people who do such things, " Retd Lt General Niranjan Malik told reporters after the meeting.
"It is a premiere institution which we feel proud of. Unfortunately many people don't even know that Armed Forces have a lot of stake in JNU," he added.

"We are patriots and we believe that people on campus should also follow our examples. We have nothing to comment on the present controversy," another retired officer said.
The ex-servicemen of 54th NDA course had last week written to the Vice Chancellor saying they "find it difficult" to be associated with an institution that has become a "hub of anti-national activities".
"We feel that present activities in JNU campus negate the sacrifices made by past degree holders of the university and would therefore want to return our prized and well earned degrees to your institution if such activities are allowed to be conducted inside the university campus," they had said.

Students and teachers of various educational institutions have been demanding release of JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar who was arrested last week in a sedition case that was registered following an event on the varsity campus to protest against the hanging of Afzal Guru where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.