Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Sunday requested the government to install a battle tank in the university that would remind students of of the sacrifices and valour of the soldiers.
“We request you to help us procure an army tank so that it could be put in JNU. The tank will remind students of the great sacrifices and valour of Indian Army,” said Kumar.
Celebrating Kargil Vijay Diwas on campus, Kumar made the request to Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh. The event was also attended by cricketer Gautam Gambhir and members of Veteran India, an organisation of Army veterans.
The event started with the JNU faculty and students along with the kin of Kargil martyrs and members of Veterans India, a body of ex-servicemen, holding a march with a 2,200-feet-long tricolour and paying tributes at the Wall of Heroes - located in JNU's convention centre where 21 portraits of Param Vir Chakra awardees are exhibited.
The programme also witnessed a performance by the army band. At the event, women family members of soldiers who died fighting in the Kargil war were felicitated.
Jagadesh Kumar termed the programme "historic" and said it was an important day to remember the sacrifices made by the Army and other security forces for the country.
Lauding the initiative taken by the university, Dharmendra Pradhan said JNU created history today by organising 'Tiranga March', setting up Wall of Heroes and by raising slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram".
He further said "In no other country, is the Army being questioned. As India is a democracy, some powers dare to show India in poor light. May God give such people better sense".
Veterans India's Maj Gen G D Bakshi spoke of how Indian soldiers guard the nation's treacherous borders with Pakistan in extremely inhospitable weather conditions in Kashmir.
Terming it as a defeat of the “anti-national” forces in JNU, the slogans “Naxalwad na Maowad, sabse upar Rashtrawad (no Naxalism or Maoism only nationalism,” and “Pakistan Murdabad (down with Pakistan),” were raised as the crowd followed people leading the protest with the 600-metre-long flag.
On the evening of February 9, 2016, JNU students were accused of raising anti-India slogans on the campus at an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and were booked for sedition.
