Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor M Jagadeesh Kumar on Monday claimed that “few hundred students” broke into his home on campus and confined his wife for “several hours”. The students’ union, however, claimed that they just opened the gate and went back after some sloganeering.
“This evening few hundred students forcibly broke into my JNU residence and confined my wife inside home for several hours while I was away in a meeting,” Kumar tweeted. “Is it the way to protest? Terrorising a lonely lady at home?”
The development came a week after 11 students, including Students’ Union Vice President Sarika Chaudhary, went on a hunger strike to protest on several matters, including the university’s decision to hold online entrance exams and the decision to delink the integrated MPhil-PhD programme. They sought the intervention of President Ram Nath Kovind.
The Students’ Union President N Sai Balaji told Scroll.in after Monday’s incident: “Today hundreds of students were on a relay hunger strike and we went to his [Kumar’s] home demanding that he speak to us. But his security behaved very badly with us. We wanted the security guards to get the VC to speak to us. I fainted shortly after. The students got angry [and] all they did was open the gate and some sloganeering after which they went back.”
Balaji said Kumar was, “instead of answering our questions”, slandering students on social media.
In a statement, the Delhi Police said the students had called for a march till Kumar’s home on Monday, ANI reported. “Students reached his house and tried to enter,” the police said. “They were stopped by the security staff. So far most of the students have gone back to their hostel. Few of them are still there. Situation is under control.”
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