No suggestion made to shut down JNU: VC (IANS Exclusive)

Refuting claims that JNU administration has advised the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry to temporary shut down the university campus, Vice-Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar Mamidala, in an exclusive conversation to IANS, denies the news report.

A prominent news daily on its front page on Wednesday had claimed that the JNU administration advised HRD ministry to temporarily shut down the campus following Sunday's violence.

"The ministry however reportedly refused the administration's request," the report had added.

However, when IANS reached the Vice-Chancellor of the university, he denied the claims.

"We have not made any such suggestions," Mamidala said denying the news report.

Earlier, a day after the violence broke out in the JNU campus, the VC appealed to the students to maintain peace and tried to assure them by saying that no person involved in the violence will be spared and appropriate action will be taken.

Kumar called the attack on students as an act of "hooliganism" and said it was against the ethos of the university.

He said the origin of the present situation lay in the activities of those agitating students who turned violent and obstructed the academic activities of a large number of non-protesting students.

"The protesting students damaged the University communication servers to disrupt the winter semester registration. They prevented thousands of students from doing their winter registration.

"Their intent is clearly aimed at disrupting the functioning of the University. This is simply hooliganism and against the ethos of JNU. No such person will be spared and appropriate action will be taken," he told IANS.

"The University stands by all the students to facilitate their pursuit of academic activities. We will ensure that their winter semester registration will take place without any hindrance. They need not fear about their process. The top priority of the University is to protect the academic interests of our students," Kumar said.

He said the administration will use all possible means to protect the students.IANS