Students with their future at stake due to the fee hike can never be perpetrators of any violence or undemocratic action,” the JNUSU said, The Hindu has reported.

Objectionable messages were found to be written on the pedestal of a statue of Swami Vivekananda, which is yet to be unveiled, on the JNU campus on Thursday. The messages were mostly directed towards right-wing outfits,

The statue is located at the university’s administrative block, which is currently “occupied” by students protesting an increase in hostel fee. The administration announced a partial rollback of the hike on Wednesday.

The building is occupied by protesting students and therefore, no official work is being conducted. The administration will wait and see how the situation pans out,” a source said.

University officials were not available for comment on the incident despite repeated calls. The incident, which came to light after a video of the messages at the statue’s base went viral, triggered a blame game between the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Left-backed JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU). The JNUSU has distanced itself from the incident and said that it condemned the attempts to malign the JNU Student Movement through acts which do not represent the student Movement.

“Our movement against the fee hike and the imposition of a draft hostel manual without consultation is a democratic movement against authoritarian ways of administrative functioning. Students with their future at stake due to the fee hike can never be perpetrators of any violence or undemocratic action,” the JNUSU said.

The RSS-affiliate, however, said the union under the garb of the students’ movement is “fulfilling petty political interests.”

Image Source: The Hindu