JNU controversy: Right to dissent essential ingredient of democracy, says Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Criticizing the police action on the slogeneering students in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said, “While anti-India sentiment is unacceptable, the right to dissent and debate is an essential ingredient of democracy”.

The Modi government is acting against the institute because it has refused to toe its line, the Congress leader said.

“The Modi govt and ABVP are bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable,” Gandhi said.

The varsity witnessed violent clashes between two students groups on Tuesday night over an event to mark the death anniversary of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Police were deployed in the campus following the clashes and anti-India slogans.

The Patiala court on Friday sent JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar to three days of police custody over the “anti-India protests”. He has been charged with sedition.

However, Kumar said that he is being targeted for defeating ABVP in the student union polls.

He also said that the JNU students union was not responsible for organising the anti-India protests.