KL News Network
Srinagar
The alleged mention of “Kashmir not being an integral part of India” in a speech at a university in Jodhpur has landed a JNU professor in trouble after the University Registrar filed a complaint against her.
According to media reports the university authorities have confirmed that a complaint has been filed against Nivedita Menon, a JNU professor, for allegedly saying, “Kashmir was not an integral part of India and that soldiers worked for their livelihood and not the nation.”
However, Menon has denied the charges and termed that the controversy is based on rumours, reports said. “I did make a distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva, saying the latter is a political ideology that I am opposed to. What I basically said was not anti-national but anti-RSS and Hindutva and if that is a crime today then I don’t know what to say,” a report quotes Menon.
Her alleged remarks have triggered protests by ABVP members leading to a shutdown in the university Friday.
“I did make a distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva, saying the latter is a political ideology that I am opposed to. What I basically said was not anti-national but anti-RSS and Hindutva and if that is a crime today then I don’t know what to say,” report quotes Menon.
A professor at the School of International Studies at JNU, Menon had been invited by the JNVU’s English department to deliver a lecture Thursday on the topic, ‘History reinterpreted: nation, individual and culture’, said a report in Indianexpress.com.
“The university has lodged a complaint against Nivedita Menon and one of the organisers, Rajshree Ranavat, who also announced while introducing Menon that she is famous for her views on Kashmir. Today, some children from the ABVP and some faculty members shut down the university in protest. I have set up a three-member committee to look into the matter,” Vice Chancellor of the university R P Singh told The Indian Express.
“She spoke about two-three objectionable things…that Kashmir is not an integral part of India and India should give up claims on Siachen…and that soldier’s work for their livelihood and not for the nation, etc.,” Singh claimed.
