A great American political scientist Howard Zinn said: “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is essential to it.” This statement fit against the decision taken by one of the progressive and premier academic institutions of India Jawaharlal Nehru University, which decided to stop further academic activities of some Ph.D. scholars and activists including Dileep Yadav.
Since the incident of 9 February, JNU has been in the news for all wrong reasons. The Larger section of corporate media left no stone unturned to paint JNU as a bad, anti-national and anti-development university. However, several reports produced by independent agencies in India and around the world put JNU at the top for its academic and teaching quality. It is said that present government wishes to demonize JNU because it is a garh of left politics. However, it is long debated issue. Now, come to the topic of suspension and denial of admission to these students. The story goes back to late 2016 when a newly formed organization “OBC Forum” persistently questioned the dilly-dally approach of JNU administration regarding implementation of one of India’s flagship affirmative programs “reservation policy for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs) and other backward castes (OBCs), and reduction in viva-marks, where the candidate belonging to these categories given lesser marks than other student despite having decent marks in written. The concerned students raised this issue and organized several protests and hunger strike with the support of an organization BAPSA (Birsa Ambedkar Phule Student Association) and few progressive left wings. It is said that few of the students’ leader for representing their concern entered forcibly at the venue where JNU administration periodically hold Academic Council Meeting. Consequently, JNU administration framed charges against these students and passed an order to stop their further academic activities and deposit Rs10, 000 as a fine. However, OBC forum leader Dileep Yadav says “We have done no wrong. We have been fighting for social justice, and without ensuring social justice for the poor and marginalized, our country cannot progress. We need inclusive and integrated development especially for those communities who have been denied entry into relevant decision-making body and higher academic institutions. We will fight for social justice until our last breath”. Dileep further says “JNU administration has no right to destroy our career because we practiced our democratic right. JNU vice-chancellor is not taking independent decision. He is being guided by RSS, which helped him to get this position. Otherwise, such draconian decision has never been passed in the history of JNU.”
The story goes back to late 2016 when a newly formed organization “OBC Forum” persistently questioned the dilly-dally approach of JNU administration regarding implementation of one of India’s flagship affirmative programs “reservation policy for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs) and other backward castes (OBCs), and reduction in viva-marks, where the candidate belonging to these categories given lesser marks than other student despite having decent marks in written.
The important question is that it just to deny admission to students and activists where we study to fight against the theory of survival of fittest. Suspending students who are learning and practicing social just is not a crime and administration is doing injustice by stopping these students’ academic activities. Protest in a democracy is a basic right, and citizen of the progressive nation learn the principle of equity, equality, and fairness by practicing. Our academic institutions must recognize the value of democracy and follow the Indian constitution, which a source of our development, justice, progress, and most importantly upholding humanity. It is reported that these suspended students are mobilizing students inside and outside the campus for organizing a bigger protest in coming days if JNU administration not repeals the charges against these progressive students and ensure their academic activities do not suffer.
It is reported that these suspended students are planning students mobilizing students inside and outside the campus for organizing a bigger protest in coming days if JNU administration not repeals the charges against these progressive students and ensure their academic activities do not suffer.
This report is based on the online feed of Facebook, Twitter, and Other media sources.
