Government Condemns Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' "Anti-India" Protests
The president of the left-leaning Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union has been recently arrested on sedition charges for allegedly leading an event where anti-India slogans were raised in a commemorative protest that mourned the execution of Afzal Guru who was hanged for the Indian parliament attack in 2001.
Kanhaiya Kumar was taken to police custody and subsequently lodged with sedition and conspiracy charges. The arrests came about after an MP belonging to PM Modi's ruling BJP party and right-leaning students' group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) filed the said charges days after the said protests had taken place.
"If anyone raises anti-India slogans, tries to raise questions on the country's unity and integrity, they will not be spared. Stringent action will be taken against them," remarked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh as he authorized a police crackdown on the university campus after vowing "strongest possible" action against those who are involved in anti-national activities as quoted saying by Daily Mail.
As the controversial JNU anti-national protest fuels a building up of left-right tension, the vice-chancellor of JNU promised to take the necessary appropriate response to the issue.
"Committee has been constituted to investigate the matter and take appropriate action as necessary. While the JNU community upholds the right to free debate on campus, the University strongly condemns the use of the University as a platform for activities that violate the Constitution and the laws of the land," said the vice-chancellor in an official statement as quoted in a report by India Today.
Recently, the resurgence of the right-wing groups has been seen as an effective anti-dote to the left's hold on JNU especially now that Hindu nationalist BJP under PM Modi holds an immense sway in India's federal and state politics. According to a report by India, law enforcers have been deployed in the campus to keep violent clashes between left and right wing groups at bay.
