Ramjas turns new battleground year after JNU turmoil
NEWDELHI: Just over an year after the Jawaharlal Nehru University was rocked by turmoil over allegations of anti-national slogans being raised on the campus, the battleground seems to have shifted to the Delhi University with Ramjas College turning into the new ground zero.
Ramjas College was hit by violence on Wednesday after an event organised by its Literary Society faced the ire of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The RSS-backed organisation objected to the participation of JNU student Umar Khalid.
Members of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) and ABVP disrupted the event on Tuesday even before Khalid reached the campus. Khalid was invited by the college’s Literary Society to speak on “The War in Adivasi Areas”. Following protests organiser’s cancelled the invite to Khalid and Shehla Rashid, another JNU student.
Teachers said the protesters hurled stones at the conference centre, where the event titled “Cultures of Protest” was to be held, and cut off power supply.
Ramjas principal Rajendra Prasad said the lecture was cancelled because of protests as well as ‘advice’ from police that the situation could go out of hand.
Vinita Chandra, who teaches English at the college, said, some of the students had held a “peaceful” counter-protest and walked back in a while later on Tuesday. “On Wednesday, again students were attacked by ABVP members. They threw chairs at teachers and students. Hit students on the head. We were holed up inside for hours before police escorted us out in the evening,” she said.
On Wednesday, students
planned to take out a march against ABVP. The march was joined by students from different colleges, and JNU and led by Leftleaning students’ groups.
But the march turned violent. ABVP members said they were protesting against the alleged anti-national slogans raised at the college on Tuesday, a charge denied by teachers from Ramjas.
“This anti-India sloganeering will not be tolerated in DU. We have lodged a complaint with the police and college principal. Allegations of violence are a lie,” said Amit Tanwar, DUSU president.
Save DU, a campaign run by students and teachers announced they will hold a protest march on Thursday at the police headquarters at ITO.
“Police must register an FIR and arrest the rioters. Police must suspend officials who attacked peaceful protesters and watched the violence,” they said.