On Monday, English professor and DNA columnist Makarand Paranjape was stopped from entering his classroom by protesters. The professor, who is often at odds with the pro-liberal groups on campus and had verbal squabbles with former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in the past, wrote on Twitter:

"Blocked from entering the School of Languages, I was the only one who succeeded in getting inside in the end. #JNU I tried to reason with so many but they refused to enter into a dialogue, resorting to name-calling and slogan-shouting instead. I asked one, "What is your name?" He said, "We are Najib."

I said, "I am Najib too, but I want to go to my office; you can't stop me. Security was so ineffective; it was their responsibility to ensure that those who wanted to go inside the building should be allowed.” He further wrote: “#JNU Even the security backed off. I said, "Why aren't you doing your duty? You can see that they have blocked the entrance." Clear the way. In the end, I myself offered satyagraha. I sat down, held the feet of the two students to push them away from the door.”

He added: “In our culture, students touch our feet, even if we don't like it; what's wrong in touching their feet for a change. For a good cause. "I've been teaching since before you were born," I said, "And been a Professor here for sixteen years; don't tell me what JNU is! "If I disagree with you, you have to let me discharge my duties, to teach, read, and write; that is JNU culture too, not bullying."

#JNU: Blocked from entering the School of Languages, I was the only one who succeeded in getting inside in the end. pic.twitter.com/Ftm8Fyt3ep — Makarand R Paranjape (@MakrandParanspe) February 6, 2017

#JNU I tried to reason with so many but they refused to enter into a dialogue, resorting to name-calling and slogan-shouting instead. February 6, 2017

#JNU I asked one, "What is your name?" He said, "We are Najib." I said, "I am Najib too, but I want to go to my office; you can't stop me." — Makarand R Paranjape (@MakrandParanspe) February 6, 2017

#JNU Even the security backed off. I said, "Why aren't you doing your duty? You can see that they have blocked the entrance." Clear the way. — Makarand R Paranjape (@MakrandParanspe) February 6, 2017

#JNU In the end, I myself offered satyagraha. I sat down, held the feet of the two students to push them away from the door. — Makarand R Paranjape (@MakrandParanspe) February 6, 2017

#JNU "I've been teaching since before you were born," I said, "And been a Professor here for sixteen years; don't tell me what JNU is!" — Makarand R Paranjape (@MakrandParanspe) February 6, 2017

#JNU "If I disagree with you, you have to let me discharge my duties, to teach, read, and write; that is JNU culture too, not bullying." — Makarand R Paranjape (@MakrandParanspe) February 6, 2017

Speaking to DNA, Professor Paranjape said that he didn’t recognise many of the protesters and many of them looked older. He said while he had seen some of them on campus before, he wasn’t sure if they were students. He said that he offered Satyagraha before they allowed him in. For the uninitiated, the term Satyagraha is a form of non-violent struggle which was coined by Mahatma Gandhi to imply a form of protest.

A video of his struggle has gone viral, in which protesters can be heard telling him that they are blocking him on grounds of ‘social justice ideology’.

The protest was part of an agitation by JNU students related to admission criteria related to PhD and M Phil students, even as Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said he was open to meeting those who had grievances. Javadekar was quoted saying by NDTV: “Whatever the UGC has given, the rules for PhD admissions, are world recognised rules and are implemented without complaint in 799 universities. If there is problem for one University, I am always open to meeting anybody.”

The protesters demanded implementation of the Nafey Committee recommendations, reducing viva voce weightage from 38 to 18, rejection of 3 level qualifying exam MPhil/PhD, implementation of reservation in faculty post and revoking the suspension of students. They also wanted the rollback of a fee hike and ‘punishment for ABVP students for mob violence on Najeeb.’

Najeeb has been missing since October 15 after a scuffle at his hostel allegedly with ABVP students on the night of October 14. A reward of Rs 10 lakh has been announced by Delhi Police on any information about Najeeb.

Professor Paranjape had hit out at Kanhaiya Kumar in March 2016, after his celebrated speech saying: "Kanhaiya said in his celebrated speech Golwalkar met Mussolini. Did you check your facts, it was Moonje who met Mussolini. "I am not saying they were not impressed by the fascist, they were. They thought it is a very good idea to have an authoritarian system. "Please let us agree on what is factual and what is not."

With inputs from agencies