Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh on Monday pointed to “gross intelligence failure” of the police in preventing violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Besides, he called upon its alumni, including two Ministers at the Centre, to exhort the Home Minister to act.
“JNU has such an alumni of eminent persons,” wrote the Congress leader on Twitter. “Ranging from Prime Ministers, Ministers in the GOI (government of India), Ministers in State governments, Nobel laureate, in the Civil Services, activists in the civil society and Members of Parliament cutting across party lines and other fields of which we are proud.”
Mr. Singh pointed out that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar were alumni of JNU and asked them to take a stand. “Shouldn’t they all stand together not only to condemn (the violence) on social media but force the Home Minister to take strong action against the ABVP goons? What was Delhi police doing? Couldn’t they have prevented it?”
On Sunday evening, 22 students, including JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, two teachers and two guards were injured on the campus in an attack by a mob of masked persons wielding rods and sticks. The union has alleged Ms. Ghosh was hit with stones and rods by members of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which has denied the charge.
Terming the incident a “gross intelligence failure”, Mr. Singh said, “What was IB (Intelligence Bureau) or the Intelligence Wing of the Delhi Police doing? Mr. Amit Shah, heads must roll or else we shall hold you responsible for this violence against students of our most prestigious university which has given us leaders of such eminence.”
