NEW DELHI -- A student of Jawaharlal Nehru University was called a "traitor" by a guard stationed outside the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, and she was not allowed to enter the educational institution established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Ria Sharma, 24, who went to NUEPA to find documents for her research, left in tears, The Telegraph reported today.
"Around 4.30pm, a friend and I had reached the gates and been asked where we were from. I said I was an MA history student from JNU and needed to speak to people here about the formalities for accessing documents so I could come back tomorrow with the request letter," Sharma told The Telegraph.
"The guard asked me to get out. He pushed me and my friend out. We were shocked. He said he wouldn't allow in people from a 'deshdroh ka adda (den of treason)'. I started crying and left," she told the newspaper.
Sharma returned after her friends encouraged her to file a complaint.
"Again, we were stopped at the gate. The guard said we could complain or even shoot him but he wouldn't allow traitors inside," she said. "He said, 'The courts are blind to set you people free, but I won't allow you inside even if our vice-chancellor comes along'."
When she was leaving for the second time, a security supervisor came out to apologize, but Sharma was too upset to enter the building.
"He said he had worked at JNU for 10 years and knew that we were good students. He asked the guard to move away from the gate but I was too shaken to go in again," she told The Telegraph.
The Telegraph also pointed out that the guard is employed in G4S, a private firm, which also provides security to JNU.
Earlier, two G4S employees have retracted their statements about the involvement of Umar Khalid, another JNU student, in an event to mark the third anniversary of Afzal Guru's execution on Feb 9.
Khalid, who was recently released on bail, has been slapped with a sedition case for allegedly organizing an event to commemorate Afzal Guru, who was convicted for his role in plotting the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian parliament. He has also been accused of raising "anti national" slogans.
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