Varsities to fly Tricolour on 207-ft mast on campuses: HRD

All central universities will fly the national flag on a 207 feet high mast at a prominent place on their campuses, HRD ministry said on Thursday, a move that comes in the backdrop of the massive controversy over alleged anti-India protests in JNU.

Officials said that a “unanimous” decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of Vice Chancellors in Surajkund, which has been called by Human Resource Development Ministry led by Smriti Irani. “A proposal had come on raising the national flag on University campuses which was accepted at the meeting,” a senior HRD ministry official said.

The resolution is applicable to JNU too as it is a central university, the officials said. Sources said that the move has been taken to instill a “sense of unity and integrity” among students in institutions of higher education.

The HRD ministry called the meeting of VCs after the death of dalit scholar Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad triggered a massive controversy and brought the spotlight on problems faced by disadvantaged sections.

Commenting on the decision, Aligarh Muslim University’s (AMU) spokesperson Rahat Abrar told Millennium Post that the national flag is just a symbol; people should have feeling of patriotism in their veins. “The Tricolour is the pride of the country and it’s a symbol of unity. AMU is not different from others and the university is ready to follow the directions of the Centre, which is taken in the best interest of the country,” Abrar said, while hailing the HRD Ministry’s move.

According to vice chancellor of South Bihar University Harish Chandra Singh Rathore, the decision has been taken to encourage love for the country. 

“The universities should hoist the national flag to instill the spirit of nationalism among students on the campus,” Rathore said.

During the meet it was also decided to appoint an anti-discrimination officer in universities to ensure a transparent proactive mechanism for grievance redressal of the varsity community, including students, staff and faculties.