Dharmendra Pradhan Praises JNU For Including Counter-Terrorism In Programmes

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan applauded the JNU for the introduction of the controversial subject “Counter-Terrorism” in the course.

The executive council of the Jawaharlal Nehru University JNU on Thursday approved the proposed new counter-terrorism course, which drew criticism from a section of teachers and students over its content. They stated that the course was trying to defame a certain religious section.

“JNU deserves appreciation; I extend my good wishes to Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar for starting such a course, when the top global universities like MIT can have discourse and debate on terrorism and counter-terrorism, why cannot ours do the same,” Pradhan was quoted as saying during a meeting with the vice-chancellors by news agency PTI.

“During my interaction with US security experts, I understood how the internet and cyber world will be used increasingly for terrorism activities. Why cannot our engineering students learn this!?,” he added.

The JNU academic council had approved the induction of three new subjects — “Counter-Terrorism, asymmetric conflicts and strategies for cooperation among major powers”; “India’s emerging world view in the twenty first century” and “Significance of science and technology in international relations — in the course curriculum in its meeting held on August 17.

A section of teachers and students of JNU opposed the introduction of the subject “Counter-Terrorism” alleging it stated that “jihadi terrorism” is the only form of “fundamentalist-religious terrorism” according to the section the course. It also asserts that communist regimes in the Soviet Union and China were state-sponsors of terrorism that influenced radical Islamic states, reported PTI.

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