There was no violence, revoke suspension, say JNU students

THE STUDENTS suspended by the JNU administration for “disrupting” an Academic Council meeting said on Thursday that they did not indulge in physical violence, and countered the administration’s version accusing them of breaking the latch of the convention centre. They alleged it was done by JNU security.

Demanding that their suspension be revoked immediately, the students in a statement said, “Funnily enough, on the one hand,noticessentbytheproctor’s office accuse us of ‘disruption of the Academic Council meeting’ and resorting to physical violence on December 26. On the other hand, according to the statement and press release issued by VC’S office, the AC meeting was successfully conducted on that day.”

It added, “The meeting had concluded before we peacefully entered, and we only entered when we found that the auditorium gate was open. We were only raising slogans withoutanyundemocratic means. We also emphasise that we did not indulge in any kind of ‘physical violence’ as claimed by the proctor’s office.”

University officials had suspended eight students belonging to the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association, Democratic Students’ Union, Students’ Front for Swaraj and United OBC Forum.

“Despite repeated requests made by the students present there, the security officers at the gate denied us all possible routes of communication to the AC. The security personnel refused even to deliver our memorandum to the AC meeting. Some of the security officers started pushing and shoving us. The top officials of the JNU security (G4s) and other security personnel manhandled us at the entrance of the convention centre. They broke the latch handle of the door themselves,” alleged the students.