Afzal Guru row: JNU bars 8 students from academic activities

New Delhi, Feb 1: As many as eight students have been debarred from academic activities by JNU pending a disciplinary enquiry into an event at varsity against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The students who have been debarred based on the interim report of the "disciplinary" committee which was instituted earlier this week to probe the involvement of students in the event, will be allowed to stay in their respective hostels to enable them to represent their stand for a fair investigation.

The university, however, did not identify the eight students. "Considering the seriousness of the incidents, and in order to enable a fair enquiry, the committee has debarred the eight students from academic activities with immediate effect during the pendency of the enquiry.

"However, to permit them represent their stand for a fair investigation, they will be allowed to stay in their respective hostels as a guest, during the period of the enquiry," JNU VC Jagdeesh Kumar said. The varsity also issued a statement saying, "the enquiry committee appointed by the VC met yesterday and today to finalize the interim report and has recommended the action". "The recommendations are being implemented.

The authorities request everyone to help maintain peace and academic atmosphere on campus and avoid any external interference in vitiating the atmosphere," it added. When asked about who these students are, the VC said, "it is in best interest of the students that their identity be protected". The committee is examining all the evidences and witnesses and is expected to come up with its report in two weeks.

The controversy erupted earlier this week when few students had pasted posters across the campus inviting people to gather for a protest march against "judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt" and in solidarity with "struggle of Kashmiri people for their democratic right to self determination" at varsity's Sabarmati dhaba.

Members of the ABVP objected to the event and wrote to the Vice Chancellor that such kind of marches should not be held on campus of an educational institution, prompting the university administration to order cancellation of the march as they "feared" that it might "disrupt" peace on campus.

But the organisers went ahead with the programme despite the cancellation of the permission and held a cultural programme, art and photo exhibition on the issue rather than a protest. The university had yesterday ordered a "disciplinary" inquiry into the incident.

PTI