Pulwama Attack Effect: JNU students want police to ensure safety on campus

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) members on Monday urged Delhi Police to ensure the safety and security of students at the institute’s campus.

The appeal comes a day after a few videos circulated on social networking sites showed people raising “anti-JNU” slogans during protests against the Pulwama terror attack.

According to JNUSU president N Sai Balaji, there is “fear” among students at the campus. “There has been a lot of hate propaganda against JNU in the past two days. All this is being done to malign and threaten us. There are videos on social media in which people are seen saying “anti-national” people live in JNU.”

“We met officials from the north Vasant Kunj police station and requested them to ensure the safety and security of students on campus. We have requested JNU students to keep calm and contact JNUSU members immediately if they see anything unusual on campus,” Balaji said. “We have spoken to the security team of the university and requested them to be more vigilant,” he added.

JNUSU general secretary Aejaz Rather said, “The students are scared. There is a sense of insecurity among them after watching hate videos on social networking sites.”

A video shared by JNUSU councillor Swati Singh on Twitter on Sunday showed a woman seen shouting “anti-JNU” slogans, calling the students “anti-national” and inviting people to “teach a lesson” to them.

A police officer said the local police are vigilant. “We have assured the JNUSU members about their safety and security. We have written to the JNU’s internal security team on Monday and asked them to beef up checking at the gate. There is nothing to worry about,” said an officer who is not authorised to speak to media.