JNU VC wants a battle tank on campus to instil 'love for Army' in students

'Bharat Mata ki' Jai slogans echoed the campus walls as participants took out a Tiranga yatra

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Sunday requested the government to procure a battle tank in the campus in order to instil “love for the Army” among students and remind them of the sacrifices the Indian Army makes, reported the Times of India.

This comes in the backdrop of JNU being at the centre of the controversy for alleged anti-India slogans in 2016 that led to students being arrested for sedition. 

Celebrating Kargil Vijay Diwas on the campus, the VC requested union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and General V K Singh to install an Army tank. Singh reiterated that Indian Army had the best record on human rights across the world. Retired major general G D Bakshi and cricketer Gautam Gambhir were also present. 

“Bharat Mata ki Jai” slogans echoed the campus walls as participants took out ‘Tiranga yatra’, carrying a 2,200-foot tricolour from Ganga Dhaba to the convention centre. Some of these participants included Supreme Court lawyer Monika Arora and US-based author Rajeev Malhotra.

The freedom of speech issue, for which JNU students like Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya fought vehemently last year, was also brought up by Gautam Gambhir. "I believe in it (freedom of speech) but there are certain things, like the respect of the national flag which is non-negotiable. No one should comment against the army," he told the English daily.

The sentiment represented at the convention was that the citizens of this country should realise the importance of 26 July — Martyr’s day. 

Claiming “victory” over JNU, Bakshi said the Army is set to capture several forts like Jadavpur University in Kolkata and Hyderabad University. Meanwhile, Pradhan said that the Army was not undermined in any other country like it has been in India.

“JNU is always making headlines. But I am happy that under the current VC, the university has installed the Wall of Heroes and organised this Tiranga March where slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai reverberated,” Pradhan told the Indian Express.

Rajeev Malhotra warned about an “internal war” in the country, saying the event at JNU was like a “victory over Kargil”, the report added.

The evening also saw dance and gala performances and a gift ceremony for the family members of martyrs.