Following JNU StuCo's opposition, here's why #RepublicForJNUTank

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which has been at the epicenter of several controversies, on Sunday observed 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' to mark the sacrifices of Indian soldiers in the 1999 war.  The Vice Chancellor of JNU, Mamidala  Jagadesh Kumar said the varsity has asked leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and VK Singh, who were present at the function, to help them procure an Army tank which can be on campus to remind of the sacrifices and valour of the soldiers. However, he met with opposition from students and teachers of JNU, who said the institution cannot be turned into a "theatre of war". More specifically, General Secretary of the JNU Student Union, Satarupa Chakraborty, wrote,  

"JNU, or for that matter any University is an Institutional space to further develop ideas and deliberate on issues. Army tanks are not for spectacle. Nationalism cannot be infused through beholding instruments of war. The Vice Chancellor and his idea of a tank in University is not needed to instill patriotism. Patriotism is not to be enforced upon.”

Following these developments, it would be conducive to consider instances where 'anti-nationalist' sentiments were demonstrated by members of JNU.

Here are five reasons why there should be an Army Tank on JNU campus #RepublicForJNUTank

1. In February 2016, students protested against the hanging of Afzal Guru, a key convict in the attack on the Parliament of India in 2001. Students were reportedly using shouting anti-India slogans -“Kashmir ki azadi tak bharat ki azadi tak, jangh rahegi jari”
2. Prior to the use of anti-India slogans, in December 2015, students protested against a lecture by Baba Ramdev.
3. In April 2010, JNU campus members attempted to celebrate the massacre of 76 CRPF men by Naxals. According to the general secretary of the National Students Union of India, the students resorted to anti-India slogans such as, “India murdabad, Maovad Zindabad”.
4. Moreover, in April 2017, DR. Buddha Singh, an assistant professor at JNU, claimed that his car was vandalised after he attended a programme to pay tribute to the martyred Jawans of the Sukma attack. The incident took place at the same venue where the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was commemorated in February 2016. 

5. According to the VC the installation of an Army Tank is a way of paying tribute to the martyred army jawans and will serve as a reminder of their great sacrifice to protect the nation. Considering that a majority of JNU graduates are army cadets, there should be no reason for a university to not pay tribute to its alumni. In 2017, 298 NDA cadets were awarded degrees from JNU and in 2016, 333 cadets received their degrees from JNU.