Amethi, Jan 6 (IANS): Union Minister Smriti Irani said on Monday that the violence in the Jawaharlal Nehru university (JNU) was 'unfortunate and condemnable' and asked political parties not to turn the educational institutions into a political battlefield.

"A university is a place where students build their future and learn about nation-building. Such places should be kept away from politics.

"Students come here, filled with inspirations and aspirations and it is politics that turns the campus into a violent battleground. Students should not be used as pawns in the hands of political parties and their leaders," she told reporters on Monday.

Irani was in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh on Monday on a one-day tour of her constituency.

She inaugurated two night shelters in Fursatganj and Asaidapur and then the Atal Swasthya Mela.

Irani also inaugurated a Kisan Kalyan Kendra in Shahgarh and distributed blankets to the poor in Musafirkhana.