JNU teachers rally behind protesting students

JNU teachers today rallied behind its protesting students and questioned the university's decision to allow the police crackdown on the campus even as they appealed to the public not to "brand" the institution as "anti-national."
As a row over an event at the campus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru raged, the teachers also come out in support of the students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is in police custody on sedition charges, saying even if the students have done anything wrong, it is an issue of "indiscipline" and not "sedition".
"It was wrong on the university's part to allow the police crackdown on campus before completion of a probe by the university's proctorial committee in connection with the event. The administration mishandled the issue," the teacher's association JNUTA president Vikramaditya told a press conference.

"Neither Kanhaiya was the organiser, nor he was associated with the event. He went their just to intervene when the argument between ABVP members and organsiers started heating up. But he has been framed," he added.
The teaching faculty members, who openly came out against the varsity administration for allegedly "mishandling" the issue, also claimed that the internal mechanism of the university seems to be completely "subverted" and autonomy of the institution stands "surrendered".
"Isn't it unfair to brand the university as anti-national which has stood as an epitome of academics and democratic culture. Why tarnish its image by calling it a home to anti-nationals?

"We have taught here for years, we know what it is to be at JNU. We appeal to the public to look beyond the present controversy and not to associate the "adjective" anti-national with JNU," said a Social Science professor, who did not wish to be identified.

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"JNU is known for its democratic ethos. We do not want this kind of tense atmosphere on the campus where students have to be scared as they might be called a terrorist.
"If some student insults the Constitution, the varsity will penalise him but do not target students with serious charges like sedition without the varsity probing the matter," the Linguistics professor said.

Ayesha Kidwai, another professor at the varsity's Centre for Linguistics, said, "University is a place of debate and dissent. Ideas should compete with ideas, force and violence cannot be used to suppress ideas. Arbitrary arrests should stop and our internal mechanism should deal with such situations."
Kanhaiya was arrested earlier this week and charged with sedition and criminal conspiracy over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised.
The event was held despite the JNU administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by ABVP members, who had termed it "anti-national".