The Hindu : National : JNU protest a betrayal of trust: Vice-Chancellor

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005

National

National

JNU protest a betrayal of trust: Vice-Chancellor

Staff Reporter

Some students' unruly behaviour during Manmohan's visit "betrayal of trust"

NEW DELHI: Expressing disappointment over the unruly behaviour of some students during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the campus, Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor B.B. Bhattacharya described the act as a "betrayal of trust" and said the administration was examining the matter.

Some persons, said to be belonging to the All-India Students Association (AISA), the Progressive Students Union and the Democratic Students Union, held a black flag demonstration during the visit on Monday.

With the campus now brimming with anger and many demanding punishment for those involved, the university is under pressure.

"We are trying to find out who were the people involved. The University will go through proper procedures to see what action can be taken. Despite our reaching an understanding with the student community, this happened. And it is painful to see that while a majority of the students were quiet, a handful caused the problem," Mr. Bhattacharya said.

The Prime Minister, despite being warned of a possible protest, had agreed to meet student representatives after delivering his speech. But while he waited to receive the memorandum, no one from the protesting group came forward.

A memorandum was, however, presented by the students union representing the concerns of the campus community. These included the opposition to India's position on Iran and the India-U.S. joint military exercise, among other issues.

According to University officials, even the police had been specifically told not to use any force on students.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National