VC sticks to his guns, asks parties to discuss ABVP issue in Assembly

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 26

Under criticism for restricting the activities of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on the Jammu University (JU) campuses, Vice Chancellor Prof RD Sharma today remained firm on his stand, saying “political activities on the campuses under existing norms would not be allowed at any cost.”

He, however, said all the parties should deliberate on the issue in the Legislative Assembly and evolve a consensus whether the campuses can allowed to have “political activities.”

On Monday, the BJP ministers, during the state Cabinet meeting in Srinagar, had sought Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s intervention against the alleged restrictions on the activities of ABVP in the university and demanded action against him.

On Wednesday, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav had tweeted, “BJP ministers take up Jammu University VC’s obstinate behaviour against ABVP. Action will be taken.”

The Vice Chancellor also said he would take up the matter with the varsity bodies — University Council, Syndicate and Academic Council — to take a final decision on whether the wings of political parties are allowed to hold their activities on the campuses.

“Under the existing norms, it is not permissible to allow organisations affiliated to various parties to carry out their political activities on the campus. We have not banned the ABVP but they can’t be allowed under the existing set of rules. I have decided to take up the matter with the university bodies to decide whether these groups are allowed to work on the campus,” he told The Tribune.

Prof Sharma said he had a firm belief that had the authorities of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, acted as per norms, then tension on their campuses could have been avoided.

“From academic point of view, everyone is free to carry out any activity as students of the university, but not as members of an organisation having known political affiliation. The university norms do not permit us to allow any organisation to carry out its political activities,” he said.

Pertinently, a massive controversy had erupted after the university had denied permission to ABVP for holding its annual blood donation camp on the campus. The varsity had said that students of the university could organise the programme through health centre or dean students welfare under supervision but not under the banner of ABVP.