Venkaiah Naidu asks students to focus on education instead of Afzal Guru

New Delhi: Asserting that attempts are being made to attack the nation's integrity in wake of the JNU campus row, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday asked universities to be apolitical and advised students to focus on their education.

"If Kanhaiya, the president of JNU, is not found to be involved in this, then there is no problem at all. But I expect the student leader to denounce such activities in his campus and distance himself from the union and such activities. We want universities to be apolitical and students to focus on education instead of getting involved in beef festival or Afzal Guru festival," Naidu said.

"The basic issue is the act of anti-national meetings, slogans, eulogizing Afzal Guru, questioning the integrity, unity and sovereignty of India. The slogans that were raised are very provocative, objectionable and anti-national. Why are the students' unions not condemning the act and distancing themselves from such activities?" he added.

Naidu also called for strong action against those attacking the nation's sovereignty.

"How can any nation which is independent, tolerate this assault on the sovereignty of the country? We cannot afford this. The government is very firm. Strong action should be taken against the people," he said.

"If a student is involved, segregate him, condemn him and let him face the action. Nobody is saying JNU is anti-national. What people are criticising is there are some anti-national activities taking place in JNU. The police and the university are investigating. Let them investigate and come out with the real culprits and take action. Others, who are innocent, should not be touched at all," he added.

Stating that the government should not be 'unnecessary' dragged in the JNU row, Naidu advised the students to think before protesting and making unwarranted statements.

"The focus should be on the people, who are raising these objectionable anti-national slogans. They should be segregated and condemned and action should be taken," he stated.

According to a Delhi Police Special Branch report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Kanhaiya Kumar was not responsible for organising the programme in support of hanged Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The report mentions that Democratic Students Union (DSU) activists led by Umar Khalid raised anti-national slogans after they were denied to broadcast a pro-Afzal Guru documentary on February 9 in the JNU. Umar Khalid has been absconding after the incident.

Describing the sequence of events, the report states that at 5 pm on February 9 there was a protest by 80-90 students including those from DSU and students of some Left organisations.

The report mentions Umar Khalid was leading the entire event. DSU and other Left supported organisations were trying to do some unwanted activities in JNU in the garb of cultural evening.

JNU authorities were timely alerted by the Delhi Police and permission to organise the event was denied to the student group.

The decision of cancellation of programme was passed on to the student group through JNU security authorities.

According to the report, ABVP students had also some idea about the cancellation and they also started to mobilise around the proposed programme venue. Anti-India slogans were raised during the event.

Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12 in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy over the event.

The same day, he was remanded to three-day police custody by a Delhi court after the police said his and five other absconding accused's alleged links with terrorist groups were being probed.