On 12th November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda at Jawaharlal Nehru University via video-conferencing. Vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil (through video-conference) the life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda installed in the university campus on November 12, at 6:30 PM. The unveiling of the statue will be preceded by a programme on Swami Vivekananda.”
The statue has been installed on the campus with the support of JNU alumni. Kumar further added that Swami Vivekananda is one the most beloved intellectuals and spiritual leaders India has been fortunate to produce. “He enthused the youth with his message of freedom, development, harmony and peace in India,” he said.
The statue was vandalized in November 2019
In 2018, the executive council of the university decided to install Swami Vivekananda’s statue in the admin block across Nehru’s statue. JNU Students Union (JNUSU) and JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) questioned the funding source at that time. In 2019, before the statue could get inaugurated, JNU goons vandalised it and wrote ‘F*ck BJP,’ ‘Bhagwa jalega’ around it.