JNU not a platform for activities that violate the Constitution: Vice Chancellor

New Delhi: The JNU administration on Friday said the varsity is not a platform for activities that violate the Constitution even as it barred the entry of outsiders into the campus in view of the ongoing protests over the Afzal Guru event. [caption id=“attachment_2623722” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] “While the JNU community upholds the right to free debate on campus, the university strongly condemns its use as a platform for activities that violate the Constitution and the laws of the land. However, there could be aberrations where fringe sections misuse the freedom provided,” the newly appointed Vice Chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar said. “The university takes serious note of the incidents on campus on the evening of February 9. A high-level enquiry committee has been constituted to investigate the matter and take appropriate action as necessary,” he said. The Vice Chancellor also appealed the students to go beyond this incident and help the campus return to “normalcy”. “While the problem would be appropriately addressed in this case, the university would also take steps to protect the academic atmosphere and the environment for vibrant discussion that JNU has always provided and stands for,” he said. Protests in the university continued to rock the campus for the third day on Friday with the students demanding university’s intervention into the manner in which police picked up students for questioning. The JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested this afternoon after police had picked him for questioning. A case was registered on Thursday under Section of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) Police station following complaints by BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP. A group of students on Tuesday held an event on the JNU campus and allegedly shouted slogans against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in 2013. The event occurred despite varsity administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by ABVP members, who termed the activity as “anti-national”. PTI