Students rally for right to debate, dissent
STANDING UP Singing songs and holding placards, participants say they want to save Delhi University from ABVP’s violence
NEWDELHI: Raising slogans of “Ye university humari hai, gundo ki jageer nahi (this university is ours, not the property of bullies),” around 2,000 students and teachers marched across the streets of Delhi University, protesting against the February 22 violence at Ramjas College.
Singing songs such as Hum Honge Kaamiyab, playing the guitar and holding posters, students and teachers came out in large numbers saying, “It was a march to make the university safe and assert their right to dissent and debate.”
The problem in DU started over a two-day seminar organised by Ramjas in which JNU student Umar Khalid was invited. Following protest by RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, (ABVP) the invite was cancelled. The college also cancelled the next day’s programme.
After the cancellation, students and teachers of Delhi University took out a march against ABVP, which turned violent.
Tuesday’s march started from SGTB Khalsa College. The participants included students and teachers from colleges such as Miranda House, St Stephen’s, Hindu College, IP College for Women, and varsities such as JNU, and Ambedkar University. Even though student leaders from Left groups such as AISA and Students Federation of India (SFI) were a part of the march, most students said the event was organised by common students.
“This is not about the Right versus the Left. It is a wrong binary that the media has built. But I want to say that this is a movement of students, it has no leaders. We are all leaders,,” said a student from Ramjas College.
JNU Teachers’ Association joined the march with the slogan of “JNUTA marches in support of DU against gundagardi”.
Students from other universities said they came for the march to express solidarity with DU students in their fight against ABVP.
“We need to save universities from hooliganism. Universities should be a place to debate and discuss,” said Mohit Pandey, president JNU students’ union.
Midway through the march, students crossed Ramjas College where ABVP member and Delhi University Students Union Ankit Singh Sangwan along with other supporters held placards saying, “I stand with Ramjas” and “I stand with nationalism”.
“We are being wrongly framed,” said Saket Bahuguna, ABVP media coordinator.