Stir over e-test in JNU: V-C says protesters confined his wife, students deny allegation

Vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Jagadesh Kumar Monday alleged that students broke into his residence and confined his wife to the house for several hours.

“This evening, a few hundred students forcibly broke into my JNU residence and confined my wife inside home for several hours while I was away at a meeting. Is it the way to protest? Terrorising a lonely lady at home?,” Kumar tweeted Monday evening.

The JNU students’ union (JNUSU) has been protesting against what it termed the “exclusionary” online entrance exam system from the coming academic year. The students’ union had also objected to the varsity decision to de-link MPhil and PhD programmes and the scrapping of the BA second-year lateral entry, among other decisions

The JNU students’?union denied the V-C’s allegations and said the students were “protesting peacefully” and never entered the residence.

JNUSU general secretary Aejaz Rather said, “JNU students have been observing a hunger strike for the past one week, but the V-C never met us. We wanted to meet him and that was why we went to his residence and protested peacefully outside. He is levelling false allegations against us.”

Meanwhile, Delhi Police told ANI, “There was a call for a march till the JNU V-C’s house today (Monday). Students reached his house and tried to enter, but they were stopped by the security guards. So far, most of the students have returned to their hostels. A few are still outside the V-C’s residence. The situation is under control.”