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New Delhi:
Calling for caution after anonymous letters with communal
overtones were distributed on campus, Najeeb Jung, vice chancellor
of Jamia Millia Islamia, says he has taken a serious note of the
incident as it had the potential to disturb peace in the entire
country.
"If anything happens in Jamia, it may well have repercussions in
other parts of the country. I believe such elements are interested
in disturbing peace in the nation," Jung told IANS.
"We need to be vigilant and I don't want my students to fall into
this trap because we are a secular university and we will remain
so," he said. The 90-year-old varsity has over 18,000 students and
was described as "one of the most progressive educational
institutions of India" by Rabindranath Tagore.
Thousands of copies of a letter marked as confidential were
circulated on the campus and its neighbourhood last week, shortly
before Bakr-Eid Nov 17. Written in a provocative manner, it
criticised the vice chancellor for lighting up the campus on
Diwali and organising a 'Diwali and Eid Milan' Nov 10.
Jung believes an organisation, and not an individual, may be
behind the act. "You cannot be an ordinary person to have that
kind of money and do it. It is, in all likelihood, some subversive
element," Jung said.
"Somebody who goes and buys an envelope, puts a confidential stamp
on it, has a letter printed out, sends out thousands of copies,
must have spent at least Rs.30,000 or 40,000 on it.
"If you spend that kind of money, you are not an individual, it is
not a disgruntled student, it is not a class four employee," he
said.
At the same time he did not blame any particular community for it.
"I am not blaming any community for it, it can be anyone and
mischievous elements have no religion. I really believe the onus
is on all of us to treat it seriously, have it investigated by the
CID or local intelligence and bring these elements to book," Jung
added.
A complaint has been lodged at the Friends Colony Police Station
and Jung has also written a letter to Police Commissioner B.K.
Gupta over the letters.
(Anjali Ojha
can be contacted at anjali.o@ians.in)
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