Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar has appealed to "all" political parties to not "interfere" in the matters of university, which is caught in a row over an event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, and asserted that the varsity is "capable" of dealing with issues internally.
"I appeal to all political parties to not interfere in this matter. The university can deal with these issues internally and let the internal mechanism probe the issue," he told media persons.
Addressing a press conference, Kumar also asked students to not feel "insecure and apprehensive".
The VC maintained that though it advocates fair enquiry and punishment to the guilty, any sort of violent attack on students or teachers is condemnable.
"Some of the teachers and students were manhandled in the court premises. The university condemns the alleged attack on them and is of the view that the law should be allowed to take its course and the guilty be punished," he added.
Asked about reports regarding the hacking of the JNU website, the VC said the varsity is looking into the matter.
"I have also been told that the website of the university has been hacked. We are investigating the matter," he said.
Kumar said a high-level JNU committee is investigating the February 9 incident in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised and the eight students who were found to be involved in it have been debarred from the university after a preliminary inquiry.
Amid criticism over the VC's contradictory statements on alleged "police crackdown" on campus, Registrar Bhupinder Zutshi said, "There has been no contradictory stand on the police permission. The VC said we never 'called police' we just cooperated with it as per the law. And the permission was granted to enter only to abide by the law and was not an anti-student move".
An internal communication to Delhi police from the JNU administration had on Tuesday revealed that the force was granted permission to enter the campus as they "may deem fit", contradicting the vice chancellor's stand that he did not call police to the premises.
The clamour grew on campus demanding release of Kanhaiya who was arrested last week in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised.
Image: Police personnel maintaining security at the entrance of JNU as students agitate for the release of the Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo
