JNU students accuse warden of not allowing havan in hostel

A group of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University have alleged that they were not allowed to perform a prayer ceremony in a hostel due to "politically motivated" reasons, a charge denied by the hostel warden.

The student group has written to university Vice Chancellor alleging that the Jhelum hostel warden had on last Saturday, asked a congregation to disperse from one of the rooms where they were performing a havan.

They have also alleged that the warden's move was politically motivated to not allow prayers. The warden, however, claimed that it was the risk of fire hazard that prompted this decision.

Jitendra, an MPhil student in Sanskrit Studies, said, "I had organised a prayer ceremony on the occasion of my birthday. We were a group of 15-20 students. We were performing havan and chanting mantras but had to halt the prayer midway after the intervention of the warden."

Ashutosh Anand, one of the wardens of Jhelum Hostel, rubbished the allegations of stopping the ceremony due to religious reasons.

"Though havans are not part of any academic activities but our major concern was the fire hazard. Also, there were complaints from other students about the chanting of mantras," he said.