JNU vice chancellor, under fire from students and faculty for not doing enough while they were being brutally attacked by a mob of masked men, continues to be evasive on the massive security breach on campus.

M. Jagadesh Kumar, who clarified on Wednesday that there was no move to shut down the university temporarily, tried to parry journalists’ queries on how goons were allowed to roam freely on the JNU campus Sunday, January 5.

He asked people not to speculate, adding that the genesis of the violence and identities of those who took part it in were a matter of investigation.

But he tried to initiate a counter narrative by saying that while students had every right to protest they could not stop others from appearing in exams or from registering for the next semester.

Kumar was referring to a section of the students’ boycott of the registration process to join protests against hike in hostel fees, something that had begun in October 2019.

“Whether there were 100 men or 200 men, whether they entered with arms or no arms… these are the issues of investigation. Let the truth come out. Why unnecessarily make speculations now and add to the rumours further,' Kumar told reporters on Tuesday.

Surprisingly, the VC’s appeal to wait for the findings of the investigation comes when CCTV and video footage of the violence has been widely circulated on social media. The visuals clearly show masked men wielding sticks, iron rods or other weapons.

Many members of this mob were seen by media personnel too as they left the campus chanting, “Bharat Mata ki jai”, after damaging university property.

Earlier in a video message, the VC appealed to students to dissolve their differences and return to studies. The deadline for registration had been extended to January 12, he announced.

Kumar also dismissed the reports that the warden and senior warden of the Sabarmati Hostel had resigned. “What will you do if you are surrounded by students who try to force you to sign either this paper or that paper... This is what happened in this case. Nobody has resigned,' he said.

Letters purportedly from the warden and senior warden had been circulating on media groups after the Sunday’s attack, suggesting that they had resigned owning moral responsibility for not being able to ensure the safety of hostel students.

There has, however, been a vociferous demand from various quarters, including students and teachers, who have accused him of colluding with the attackers.

On Wednesday, Kumar met HRD ministry officials after which he declared there was no move to temporarily shut down the campus.

“We have not made any such suggestions,” Kumar told PTI after reports that the university administration had sought to temporarily shut down the campus following Sunday’s mob violence.

“There is no move to do so. Efforts are on to facilitate a conducive environment for students,” he added.