On JNU episode, let the law take its course
The violence on Monday outside Delhi's Patiala House court, where the sedition case against Jawaharlal Nehru University Student's Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was to be heard, was appalling. JNU students, teachers and activists as well as journalists who had come to follow the court proceedings were physically assaulted by what seemed like a group of lawyers and some politicians. There can be no justification for such acts. Those responsible for the clashes, of which there is ample video evidence, must be brought to justice. Delhi Police has already registered a case and the Bar Council of India has announced that a retired High Court judge will investigate the violence to punish the lawyers. These are steps in the right direction. Also, quite a few of those who were present during the clashes have complained that police personnel did precious little to contain the fighting and mostly just looked the other way. These allegations must be investigated and those guilty of dereliction of duty held accountable. Reports are also emerging that Monday's court clashes may have been pre-meditated — that lawyers had received messages the day before asking them to be present at the courthouse so as “take the insidious anti-national campaign that began at JNU's Ganga Dhaba to its logical conclusion at Patiala House”. Even if this wasn't a direct call to violence, it seems like at least some individuals had come prepared for a faceoff. The situation is emotive, and some people are understandably upset with the kind of offensive sloganeering that has happened at one of the country's most reputed institutions of higher learning. However, that matter is being investigated and there is no need to take the law into one's hand. Mr Kanhaiya Kumar's case is already in the court and other students who may have chanted anti-India slogans are also being scrutinised. It is best to just let the law take its course.
Violence, of the sort that was seen on Monday, takes the focus away from the core issue and puts the scanner on hotheads on the other side of the fence. This, in turn, gives a bad name to the ‘nationalist camp' that has otherwise enjoyed the support of the Indian public. Also, within the JNU camp, such activities lead to a hardening of positions. Many within the university do not ascribe to anti-national views or approve of inflammatory anti-India sloganeering. But when teachers and students of JNU or just about anybody who “looks like a JNU student” are targeted, that too in a court of law in the presence of a large media and police contingent, the university circle becomes tighter.
That said, Monday's incident, condemnable as it is, must not compel the Government into diluting its stance on the larger issue of anti-India elements finding a safe haven at a tax-funded Central university. Already, some sections within JNU are claiming that those who raised the offensive slogans had come from outside. Even if this were the case, it still does not free JNU of its obligations and responsibilities. Sure, the university must remain a safe space for all sorts of debate and dialogue — and this must be encouraged. At the same time, the campus cannot be allowed to become a breeding ground for radical groups that foster anti-India sentiment. This has to be contained.