Students and teachers at the prestigious university must de-link their liberal traditions from anti-national activities. This is in their best interests, writes DK GIRI
As a former student of Jawaharlal Nehru University who still lives close to campus, I write this to share my agony and pain on the unfortunate controversy at the institution. One thought it would pass, since the matter concerns young students, who are at an excitable age and entitled to hold radical opinions. Moreover, JNU students are known for their left and progressive views. Also, teachers and students who sympathise with the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxists) dominate the public discourse.
That is why many such controversial events have taken place in JNU in the past but, for the sake of upholding the right to free speech, the right to dissent, debate and have an open discussion in a democracy, they were largely ignored. However, the events this time around are deeply painful, and plainly out of order. One could blame the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or the BJP MP who lodged the First Information Report for highlighting the issue, but one cannot ignore the incident and its repercussion.
So, what are the facts in the JNU imbroglioIJ A group of students sought permission to organise a literary event which turned into an anti-India event, evident in the sloganeering that was recorded. The students knew that would happen, even when they sought permission in the name of a literary event. And when the cat was officially out of the bag, the authorities cancelled the permission, just a few minutes before the event was to start.
The students had already gathered by then, so they moved to another area and conducted the meeting. Videos from this event again show anti-India sloganeering. The point to be noted is that the slogans were not raised on the spur of the moment. But were the slogans unlawful, seditious, and anti-nationalIJ
Prima facie, they are, but it is for the judiciary to make the final decision. It is one thing and this is acceptable in a democracy to criticise the ruling party or the Government, but it is quite another to criticise and attack (even verbally) the nation state. The latter is not acceptable and not covered by the right to freedom of speech. So the sloganeers had to be booked and tried. It is another matter if they have any legally questionable antecedents; but if the sloganeers have no links with anti-India forces, they may be let off with a reprimand. This, again, is for the courts to decide.
The second issue is that of false evidence, with reports emerging that the videos were doctored. Some have also alleged that ABVP supporters engineered the sloganeering in order to sully the reputation of the communists. These issues are currently being investigated by Delhi Police and JNU.
The third issue is that of politicisation. In a multi-party democracy, this is unavoidable. The media will also give matters its own ‘spin' to raise their ratings while the civil society will push its own perceptions as well. However, as long as the judiciary and the police do their jobs, stick to the facts and abide by the law, this shouldn’t be a problem.
The first politician to wade into the JNU controvery and defend the students was Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. He blamed the BJP for imposing its ideology on the students but also ended up supporting the sloganeering, which he must not have intended to do. But then again, he is known for such faux pas. The CPI(M) and the CPI also questioned the police action and professed the innocence of the students’ union president who had been arrested. All of this was predictable.
This writer would like to appeal to JNU students and teachers to delink anti-India sloganeering from the progressive traditions of JNU. Progressivism and patriotism (not even nationalism) must go together. A progressive has to be a patriot. If JNU realises this, it’s image will be restored. Or else, it will quite possibly lose the respect and admiration that it has had for all these years.