Display army tank to remind us of soldiers' sacrifices, JNU tells Centre

JNU Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar has urged the Union government to display an army tank in the varsity campus to remind students of the sacrifices the soldiers have made.

Kumar was addressing an event in the university on Sunday to mark the 18th anniversary of Kargil Vijay. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for External Affairs and ex-Army Chief Gen V K Singh, Veteran India mentor Maj Gen G D Bakshi and cricketer Gautham Ghambir were present.

“I would like to request Gen V K Singh and Dharmendra Pradhanji to help us procure an army tank so that we can display it in a prominent place in JNU,” Kumar said.

To mark the occasion, students and university faculty undertook a march holding a 2,200-ft tricolour. They were joined in the parade by the kin of Kargil martyrs and members of Veterans India, a body of former servicemen, besides the two Union ministers.

They also paid tributes to the 21 portraits of Param Vir Chakra awardees at the Wall of Heroes exhibition, which was recently set up on the campus.

The event comes a year after the then JNU Students Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and four other students were booked on sedition charges. The students were charged for displaying “anti-national” posters at an event.

Addressing the gathering, Pradhan said JNU had created “history” by organising a Tiranga (tricolour) march on the occasion.