Twist in JNU mystery: CCTV cameras at server room not vandalised, says RTI reply

The JNU administration had alleged students had destroyed biometric systems, CCTV

police jnu forensic aayush (File) Investigators at JNU after the January 5 mob violence | Aayush Goel

Biometric systems and CCTV cameras at its server room were not vandalised in the first week of January, contrary to the claims made by the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration that students had destroyed them on January 3, the university has said in a RTI reply.

The reply to the RTI filed by Saurav Das, a member of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI), under "life and liberty" clause, said the main server of JNU at the Centre for Information System (CIS) was shut down on January 3 and had gone down the next day "due to power supply disruption".

JNU's reply also stated that "no continuous and entire" CCTV footage of cameras installed at North/Main gate of the JNU campus from 3pm to 11pm on January 5 was available, the day when masked men had entered the campus, and attacked students and teachers with iron rods and sledgehammers.

The JNU administration, in an FIR, had claimed that on January 3, a group of students wearing masks had forcibly entered the CIS and switched off the power supply, making the servers dysfunctional, thereby affecting a range of functions, including CCTV surveillance, biometric attendance and internet services.

"The main server of JNU was shut down on January 3 and had gone down the next day due to power supply disruption. None of the CCTV cameras were vandalised from December 30, 2019 to January 8, 2020," JNU, in its response to the RTI, said.

The response also said a total of 17 fibre optical cables were damaged on January 4 at 1 pm. “None” of the biometric systems were broken or destroyed from December 30, 2019 to January 8, 2020, it said.

The RTI had also sought information on whether the CIS office contains the servers of the CCTV cameras in and around the campus. To this, the reply stated that the servers of CCTV cameras are located in data centre and not at CIS office.

The RTI reply also said "the details of locations of CCTV cameras cannot be provided due to security reasons and concerns".

Das received the reply to a RTI filed by him on January 9.

The RTI also asked details of the total number of times the JNU website was not functioning due to technical snag or problem since December 25, 2019 to January 8, 2020.

The reply stated that the varsity's website was functioning during this period since it is "critical" and "a logical public face of the university".

"It was running from alternate backup arrangement during this period," JNU said in its response.

No immediate reaction was available from the JNU on the RTI responses.

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