<p>Jawaharlal Nehru University protesters’ ‘Freedom Square’ has turned into a quieter place over one and a half month after university's student union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition.<br /><br /></p>.<p>With JNU students’ union (JNUSU) drawing curtains on series of lectures on ‘azadi’, the long flight of steps outside the JNU administrative block on Monday hosted an event on “Tobacco Related Diseases: Prevention and Cure”. <br /><br />Vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar made a brief appearance at the National Service Scheme-organised event, as his university ranked third in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) list of top varsities. HRD Minister Smriti Irani released the list at Vigyan Bhawan here on Monday.<br /><br />“JNU will strive to continue its onward march in not just being the best university in India, but also in the world,” a statement issued by the university said. But the VC refrained from touching topics other than the one that was being discussed in the public lecture. <br /><br />Kanhaiya Kumar, who led a protest outside Rajasthan Bhawan on Monday, said he was not too impressed with the ranking. “Feels ridiculous that on one hand the MHRD is attacking us over autonomy and on the other hand we are on this list,” he told a TV news channel. <br /><br />After getting an interim bail by the Delhi High Court on March 3, the JNUSU president had received a rousing welcome outside the JNU administrative block. <br /><br />He had then taken on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the controversial sedition charge against him and two other JNU students arrested in connection with the campus event commemorating the “judicial killing” of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. <br /><br />Ever since the JNUSU president’s release, the space outside JNU administrative building, fondly called Freedom Square by students, saw a wave of protests and lectures series on ‘azadi’ and ‘nationalism’. Art installations, posters and graffiti also cropped up at the protest site in support of students charged with raising ‘anti-India’ slogans during the Afzal Guru event. <br /><br />Shehla Rashid Shora, JNUSU vice president, said the lecture series is nearing an end as exams are round the corner. “Some of us have final term exams from April 28. There is also an end-semester rush for project submissions,” she told DH. <br /><br />“JNU ranks top, not only in terms of academic excellence but also in terms of its inclusive composition. The inclusive composition of the University makes it more academically vibrant, as the knowledge produced is connected to people's real-life experiences and is not unaware of social realities,” the JNUSU leader said.<br /><br />But even as storm seems to have settled down on the controversial Afzal Guru event, JNU sources said the varsity is gearing up to take a final call on the report of a high-level committee which charged Kanhaiya Kumar and other students with committing “acts of indiscipline” and violating “certain norms” of the varsity.<br /></p>
<p>Jawaharlal Nehru University protesters’ ‘Freedom Square’ has turned into a quieter place over one and a half month after university's student union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition.<br /><br /></p>.<p>With JNU students’ union (JNUSU) drawing curtains on series of lectures on ‘azadi’, the long flight of steps outside the JNU administrative block on Monday hosted an event on “Tobacco Related Diseases: Prevention and Cure”. <br /><br />Vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar made a brief appearance at the National Service Scheme-organised event, as his university ranked third in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) list of top varsities. HRD Minister Smriti Irani released the list at Vigyan Bhawan here on Monday.<br /><br />“JNU will strive to continue its onward march in not just being the best university in India, but also in the world,” a statement issued by the university said. But the VC refrained from touching topics other than the one that was being discussed in the public lecture. <br /><br />Kanhaiya Kumar, who led a protest outside Rajasthan Bhawan on Monday, said he was not too impressed with the ranking. “Feels ridiculous that on one hand the MHRD is attacking us over autonomy and on the other hand we are on this list,” he told a TV news channel. <br /><br />After getting an interim bail by the Delhi High Court on March 3, the JNUSU president had received a rousing welcome outside the JNU administrative block. <br /><br />He had then taken on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the controversial sedition charge against him and two other JNU students arrested in connection with the campus event commemorating the “judicial killing” of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. <br /><br />Ever since the JNUSU president’s release, the space outside JNU administrative building, fondly called Freedom Square by students, saw a wave of protests and lectures series on ‘azadi’ and ‘nationalism’. Art installations, posters and graffiti also cropped up at the protest site in support of students charged with raising ‘anti-India’ slogans during the Afzal Guru event. <br /><br />Shehla Rashid Shora, JNUSU vice president, said the lecture series is nearing an end as exams are round the corner. “Some of us have final term exams from April 28. There is also an end-semester rush for project submissions,” she told DH. <br /><br />“JNU ranks top, not only in terms of academic excellence but also in terms of its inclusive composition. The inclusive composition of the University makes it more academically vibrant, as the knowledge produced is connected to people's real-life experiences and is not unaware of social realities,” the JNUSU leader said.<br /><br />But even as storm seems to have settled down on the controversial Afzal Guru event, JNU sources said the varsity is gearing up to take a final call on the report of a high-level committee which charged Kanhaiya Kumar and other students with committing “acts of indiscipline” and violating “certain norms” of the varsity.<br /></p>
