What JNU alumni said about Sunday’s violence at campus

Two Union ministers of the Modi cabinet were among those who condemned the violence that unfolded on Sunday night at the premises of the premiere Jawaharlal Nehru University. Others included bureaucrats and Members of Parliament.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman: The finance minister, a JNU alum, was one of the first to have tweeted condemning the violence. She tweeted that she remembered JNU as a place for debates, but not violence.

“Horrifying images from JNU - the place I know & remember was one for fierce debates & opinions but never violence. I unequivocally condemn the events of today. This govt, regardless of what has been said the past few weeks, wants universities to be safe spaces for all students,” read her tweet .

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar: The EAM, a former alum, too, was the first from the government to respond. In his tweet, he condemned the violence and said the violence is not part of JNU’s culture.

“Have seen pictures of what is happening in #JNU. Condemn the violence unequivocally. This is completely against the tradition and culture of the university,” he tweeted. 

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant: Kant, who heads the government think tank, is also an alum and in his tweet, he remembered JNU as a place where vibrant debate and different viewpoints existed.

“#JNU has always been a centre of lively & vibrant debate, discussion & co-existence of different viewpoints. What has happened today is extremely sad & tragic. I strongly & unequivocally condemn the violence on campus. This is totally unacceptable,” he tweeted. 

CPI leader Sitaram Yechury: Yechury, another alum, reached AIIMS and later at a midnight protest at the ITO police station to land his support to injured students. In a series of students he blamed the government for abetting the violence.

“The state of security in India’s premier University in the national capital is a very damning barometer of law and order in the country and a matter of deep concern. If students are not safe, then who is,” read one of his tweets. 

Social justice secretary R Subrahmanyam: Subrahmanyam, a former alum and former education secretary, was vocal in his condemnation. His transfer to the social justice ministry, as per several reports, was linked to the ongoing protests at JNU. His reaction was one of the few from the IAS officers, several of who have studied in the university.

“#JNUViolence completely unacceptable and shameful. I condemn the violence is no uncertain terms and demand immediate action against the hooligans,” Subrahmanyam tweeted. 

Former Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai: The former prime minister, while retweeting a tweet of actor Swara Bhasker, urged that the JNU be saved. Bhattarai and Bhasker are both alums.

“My heart-felt solidarity with my alma mater JNU! Please save this holy temple of learning,” read one of Bhattarai’s tweets. 

Journalist and political commentator Sanjaya Baru: Baru, who was an advisor to former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, confirmed the violence in the first few minutes when it was unfolding and said that “goons” were attacking students. His wife, Rama Baru, is a JNU professor.

“... My wife teaches there. Her students live on campus. They have been calling in fear. This is an organised attack that alumnus like me should stand up against,” read one of Baru’s tweets. 

Political analyst and Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav: Yadav, another JNU alum who was one for the first political leaders to have landed at the University to register his support, was physically manhandled twice. He fell on the divider and had a minor injury to his eye. Most of the heckling was caught on live TV, and he said that later at AIIMS, too, he was attacked.

“There is no one to stop the goons, reality is before you,” Yadav told reporters moments before he was attacked.

Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi: Bordoloi, an alum of the University, compared the violence to Hitler’s Third Reich regime.

“As an alumnus of JNU and an informed citizen of India, it gives me great pain to witness what happened in JNU today. Its reminiscent of the Third Reich regime of Hitler but no matter how much you try to break us, we will rise and fight this regime peacefully and unitedly,” he tweeted. 

More than 20 people were injured when masked men attacked students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday evening during a meeting called by JNU Teachers’ Association. The police has registered an FIR and are scanning social media posts and CCTV footages as part of its investigation.