Amid controversy, JNU receives award for 'best varsity'

The JNU has been honoured with the best varsity award on Friday. A poster on Kashmir was also spotted in the JNU on Thursday.

New Delhi, March 3: It has been a busy day for Jawaharlal Nehru University on Friday. According to media reports, the university -- at the centre of controversy for more than a year now -- has been honoured with the annual 'Visitor's Award' for the best varsity in the country on Friday.

A day earlier on Thursday, a controversial poster demanding 'Azaadi (freedom) for Kashmir' was seen in the varsity campus. The poster reads, "Freedom for Kashmir, free Palestine! Right to self-determination, long live!" It was signed by the ultra-Left student political wing Democratic Students Union. The poster was later removed by the JNU administration..

According to PTI, the poster was seen by the students at the new block of School of Social Sciences, who then chose to involve the administration regarding its presence. JNU authorities ordered the university security to remove the poster in the evening. "We don't know who put up the poster as this has been the pattern in JNU. However, the administration has asked the staff to bring it down," a senior university official told PTI.

In the last few days, we have seen the issues of nationalism and freedom of speech taking the centre stage, after a clash was reported between the students belonging to left-affiliated organisations and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in the Ramjas College in Delhi University. A sharp polarisation of views have been witnessed in both the JNU and the DU as both the right and left groups are trying to take control over these premier educational institutions.

"The winners of Visitor's Award for 'Innovation' and 'Research' will receive a citation and cash award of Rs one lakh. The awards will be presented during a function as part of the 'Festival of Innovations'," said a statement by the Visitor.

JNU vice chancellor Jagadesh Kumar will receive the award including a citation and a trophy from President Pranab Mukherjee at an event at the Rasthrapati Bhavan on March 6, reported PTI.

"Deepak Pant from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh has won the Visitor's Award for 'Innovation' while the Visitor's Award for 'Research' has been jointly won by Shyam Sunder from Banaras Hindu University and Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University," a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said.

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