JNU students demand removal of V-C, stopped from marching towards Rashtrapati Bhavan
NEW DELHI: Several Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students were detained by the police on Thursday when they tried to march to Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest the Ministry of Human Resource and Development’s failure to end the deadlock over the demand for the Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar’s resignation.
A delegation of nine, including JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, earlier met MHRD secretary Amit Khare.
After a two-hour meeting, Ghosh said that they put across their demands but the protest will go on. “We are being told to have a dialogue with the VC but he is not ready for it. The answer to my injury is not dialogue. We won’t let our protest end here,” Ghosh, who was hit on the head on Sunday, said.
After waiting for hours at Shastri Bhavan, which houses MHRD, the protesters started moving towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan via Janpath. They were stopped by the police causing massive traffic jams.
When the protesters refused to disperse and started raising slogans against the police, the police personnel dragged them into the buses parked there.
The detained students raised slogans: “Yaad karo apni baari, Tis Hazari Tis Hazari; “Delhi Police Haye Haye,” they shouted.
At least four students were injured by the police who wielded sticks.
“A gathering of JNU students and teachers marched from Mandi House to MHRD via Rajendra Prasad Road... However, when the delegation came out of the meeting, one of the student leaders provoked the gathering to move towards Rashtrapati Bhavan. Consequently, they stopped traffic at Rajendra Prasad Road.
They were prevented from marching towards Rashtrapati Bhawan. In the process 11 persons were detained and subsequently released,” they added.
This reporter, however, witnessed, at least 50 students being dragged to detention by the police.
No compromise over removal of VC: Aishe
JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh said the students and faculty members will not relent till Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar is sacked adding that they won’t forget Sunday’s attack.