JNU has always been anti establishment, says former special secretary

A large majority say that the trend at the JNU is to be anti-establishment. Over the past several years there have been meetings which have been pro-naxalite. Now the issue in question is the protest regarding the Afzal Guru issue during which anti national comments were allegedly made.

In the aftermath of this incident, there have been questions asked about the involvement of the police at the campus. The government has defended this move and said that it was absolutely necessary. While protests are a part and parcel of democracy, it does not always look good if they are anti establishment for the heck of it.

How does one deal with the JNU?

Many would argue that the best way to kill a protest is to ignore it. If it is not threatening the law and order situation and there is no chance of mob violence, the best way would be to ignore it so that it dies a natural death.

Former special secretary, Cabinet secretariat, government of India, Vappala Balachandran tells OneIndia that we know that the JNU has always been anti establishment. It has also a known fact that there are pro naxalites too there. They have been speaking about such issues in the past as well.

It has been a trend to be anti establishment. However, there are some cases where as the students grow older, the mindset has changed. I will quote the example of a lady. In the year 1970 a student at the JNU was criticised heavily for her pro-naxal views. She was even branded as a naxalite by many.

However, later on she went on to become an Indian Foreign Services Officer and prior to her retirement she was an ambassador. [JNU row: Delhi cops formally arrest S A R Geelani for organising Afzal Guru event]

The point I am trying to make here is that there has to be a different way in dealing with situations in colleges. Make the Vice Chancellor more accountable. The situation tends to blow out of proportion when it is made into a law and order issue. I personally feel that the Vice Chancellor should be made more responsible so that such protests do not take place.

When such incidents are turned into a law and order issue then everyone gets an opportunity to talk and the media gets a chance to blow it up. Making a law and order issue out of such incidents is virtually playing into the hands of those who are trying to gain publicity says Balachandran.

The JNU has always known to be anti establishment. A large majority has been this way all along. On one hand while we should ignore protests so that it does not turn into a major issue on the other hand we must also ensure that there is no violence.