Indian Army tank on JNU campus to boost nationalism in students?

The Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, says that the presence of an Indian Army tank in the university campus will remind the students of sacrifices and valour of the defence forces.

He has requested Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and VK Singh to help in 'procuring an Army tank' which could be displayed at a 'prominent place' on campus.

"Would like to request VK Singh ji to help us procure an Army tank so that we can put it on display in the university," Kumar said.

Celebrating the 18^th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Divas, JNU had organised a program to celebrate India's victory and to pay homage to Kargil martyrs and the Indian army.

Dharmendra Pradhan, VK Singh, Major General GD Bakshi (retired) and cricketer Gautam Gambhir were among the people who participated in the Tiranga march.

While addressing the gathering, Pradhan had congratulated the JNU VC for organising a historic event and added that JNU had set up an example in the country when it came to respecting the Indian Army.

The idea of bringing in a military tank to the campus was a decision taken in the aftermath of the February 2016 incident where students chanting anti-national slogans were arrested for sedition.

Gautham Gambhir, who also spoke during the occasion about the February 2016 controversy, said that the respect for tricolour is 'non-negotiable' and that the Army had the right to take extreme decisions.

Gambhir said that the ones standing at the borders are the real heroes, not cricketers or Bollywood celebrities. "Standing in JNU, it takes me back to when there was a lot of talk about freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is important, but there are certain things which are absolutely non-negotiable. One is the respect for the tri-colour," Gambhir added.

VC Jagdish Kumar had recently told ANI that," If we have a decommissioned tank in JNU, it is only to show our strong and close association with defence institutes of the country."

He further added that it will also serve as a reminder of great sacrifices made by the defence forces for safety of the country.