We
condemn in the strongest possible words the decisions of 14th March
of the high-level enquiry committee set up by the university with respect to
the incident on 9th February. As we have all seen, the revocation of
academic suspension on 11th March was just a sham, the sanghi
administration has shown its real colors with recommended rustication of 5
students including JNUSU president Kanhaiya along with Com. Umar & Com.
Anirban and 18 show-cause notices that is issued to others. We view this in a
pattern of events that include administration’s attack on students organizing
events that are sabotaged by the ABVP and its godfathers. This time the ABVP
was a part of a much larger plan that included the sanghi media as well. This
is nothing but a systematic plan that targets individuals in order to
demoralise them and in turn destroys the JNU culture of having posters,
parchas, public meetings and events.
The
parcha issued by Democratic Students Federation (DSF, dated 10th
March) is utterly shameful to a campus engaged in a strong political movement
against the saffronization of education. We don’t understand why a
‘political’ organization would operate by the logic of the sangh and classify
certain arguments as ‘irresponsible pamphleteering’. It is high time we
remind ourselves that JNU has several student organizations that function as
organizations, any pamphlet or poster issued by them is the organization’s
position and every member is accountable for it. Not only is it unnecessary to
include names of signatories but this practice can in fact will foster
individualist tendencies, furthering taking us away from organized politics.
Recent
events show that this rightwing assault on our freedom to debate and dissent
hasn’t spared our teachers as well. We strongly condemn the attack and
slandering against Prof. Nivedita Menon through ABVP’s police complaint and the
media trial by Zee News. Prof. Menon who has been a vocal feminist has always
stood in defense of progressive; the attack on her is literally
‘witch-hunting’, a lame attempt to scuttle voices of dissent by such defamatory
campaigns. Academic discussions are not devoid of politics, theory and politics
have had a two-way relationship, both contribute to each other. Prof. Menon
along with others that contributed to series of lectures on nationalism have
repeatedly pointed out that a discussion of Kashmir issue and the topic of
oppressed nationalities in India is not new, that there are several academic
positions on the same. Universities are such spaces to discuss and debate
these issues. We appeal JNUTA and JNUSU that the history of Kashmir and
the related issues should be discussed in the series of nationalism classes.
The
immense support from academics and intellectuals all over the world has been
key in the StandWithJNU movement. The arrest of Prof. SAR Geelani on sedition, attack
on Prof. Vivek Kumar, ABVP’s attack and campaign against Prof. Rajesh Misra of
Lucknow University, witch-hunting of Prof. Nivedita Menon and poet and
scientist Gauhar Raza proves that the sangh brigade is terrified of this
movement, as it is being thoroughly exposed. We also condemn the remarks of CSLG
Prof. Amita Singh that allege Dalit & Muslim teachers to be anti-national. Whole
of this conspired mobilization (by rightwing organizations, media groups,
lawyers as well as academicians) has demonstrated that RSS brand of nationalism
is in fact anti-Dalit, anti-minority, anti-women and anti-working class,
therefore all those who expose it are voices of dissent. It is crucial that the
student body stands in support of all students facing enquiry. We should in
under no circumstances accept any punitive measures that will be imposed by
this high level enquiry committee. At the same time it is important to work
towards keeping the parcha-poster-public meeting culture alive in JNU, any
attack from rightwing in near future on the same should be met with a radical student’s
movement that rejects any attempt of scuttling campus democracy by these
fascists. We urge all progressive, democratic forces of the campus to unite
against this saffron terror to save our spaces for political discussions.
#FIGHTFORJNU #FIGHTWITHJNU
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