Jammu students burn Kapil Sibal's effigy over Central University issue

Demanding immediate appointment of vice-chancellor of the Central University in Jammu and starting its academic session, activists today burnt an effigy of Union human resource development (HRD) minister Kapil Sibal to protest the delay in making the varsity operational.

Activists of National Secular Forum (NSF) raised slogans against the Jammu and Kashmir and Central governments this evening, alleging that "step-motherly" treatment was meted out by them in the setting up of the institution in Jammu.

"We request the UPA government to appoint the V-C of Central University of Jammu as quickly as possible and also to start the academic session for this year on an urgent basis. We have lost one academic session last year and it is a great loss to student community," NSF president Vikas Sharma told reporters.

"If the UPA government fails to appoint a local V-C to the Central University of Jammu, then they will once again launch a mass agitation," he said.

The NSF claimed that while other universities whose setting up was announced in February 2009 have already completed one session, the governments were "sleeping over" operationalisation of Jammu University which was "still on the papers".