India, Hyderabad: Today, a protester hurled a shoe at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Kanhaiya Kumar while he was addressing a press conference in Hyderabad. “Anti-nationals like Kanhaiya should not be allowed to speak,” the protester shouted before the police took him away. Continuing with his speech, Kanhaiya said that such incidents do not matter to him. “Do whatever you want to do, I am not the one to get scared.

My way is the Gandhian way,” Leader said. Earlier at the press conference, Kanhaiya alleged that educational institutions are under attack. “There is an allegation that we are doing politics. Are we doing politics or is the government doing politics? (It) has a pre-planned script to destroy autonomy of universities. The precise work of universities and intellectuals is to promote critical thinking,” he said.

Kanhaiya is on a two-day visit to Hyderabad and Vijaywada, his first such visit after being freed on bail on sedition charges. After arriving in the city on Wednesday, the student leader blamed the Centre for blowing up the issue of ‘anti-national slogans’ at JNU to divert attention from Rohith’s suicide and its aftermath. On Wednesday evening, Kumar was not allowed to enter the HCU campus where he was scheduled to address students agitating for the resignation of the vice chancellor for his alleged role in the suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Kanhaiya, who came with Rohith’s mother and brother to express solidarity with the students, was greeted byslogans for and against him at the gate, after the University issued a notification banning the entry of outsiders, including political parties, media and other social/student groups.