NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Executive Council on Thursday approved a new counter-terrorism course, which was under criticism from a section of teachers and students for its content.
The university will organise every year various events including webinars/seminars, exhibitions, distinguished lectures, recalling of true account of the events through survivors, and other related activities in order to educate the younger generation about how millions of Indians lost their lives to the horrors of the partition, a JNU statement said.
“Further, the partition of India as a moment of national trauma with broad historical phases related to ideologies and ideologues of the partition, the events of partition leading to violence, breaking up of a civilisation and aftereffects of partition where silencing of truths and construction of an obfuscated discourse will be revisited,” the statement read.
After approving three new courses , including counter terrorism, on August 17, the Council on Thursday approved them. JNU vice-chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar had said that there was “needless controversy” without going into academic merits of the course.
The council also approved the observance of August 14 as 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day' every year.
A section of JNU teachers and students had objected to the introduction of the counter-terrorism course, alleging it states that 'jihadi terrorism' is the only form of 'fundamentalist-religious terrorism'.
The course also asserts that communist regimes in the Soviet Union and China were state-sponsors of terrorism that influenced radical Islamic states, according to them.
In its meeting on Thursday, the JNU executive council approved the course along with the other two courses, sources said.
According to sources, some members also asked about plans for reopening the campus.
They were informed that a committee will draft guidelines for the phased reopening of campus.
The council also approved the observance of birthday (April 14) and Mahaparinirvana Diwas (December 6) of B R Ambedkar by the university every year.
(With PTI Inputs)