Students protest, recite poetry against ‘hate’ in Delhi University
At Ramjas College, some students protested the march being taken to the college grounds. Slogans of “AISA campus chodo” and “Deshdrohi naare lagane walon, wapas jao” were heard here.
Twentieth century German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht had asked, “In the dark times, will there also be singing?” Answering his own question, he went on to say, “Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times.”
This was the slogan that rang through the ‘poetry procession’ organized by members of the All India Students Association (AISA), at the Delhi University on Friday. Some 100 odd students, associated with the left wing students’ association took out a march, with the theme “Harmony Shall Win,” through campus visiting Ramjas College, Hindu College and Kirori Mal College, protesting against the allegedly growing number of violent incidents on campus.
At Ramjas College, some students protested the march being taken to the college grounds. Slogans of “AISA campus chodo” and “Deshdrohi naare lagane walon, wapas jao” were heard here.
Kawalpreet Kaur, the DU head of AISA, alleged that the students were members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and that they had been expecting such a reaction. “Everybody has a right to protest. They do too. We are just glad they did not pelt stones at us this time,” she said.
Saket Bahuguna, the ABVP spokesperson, however, said the resisting students were not ABVP members, but more probably Ramjas students. “There is a tension within the student community there. The name of Ramjas College was maligned in their centennial year by left wing students. Of course, there may be some resentment towards them because of that,” he said.
Clashes had broken out between members of the two parties at Ramjas College earlier this year.
At Hindu College too, the students were not allowed to enter the premises, and instead they registered their protest by singing songs and reading poetry outside the college gates.
Hindu College principal Anju Srivastav, however, said she had been busy at the time, and was not even aware of the protest at the college gates or that they were denied entry.
“We wanted to break the silence, that is borne out of fear amongst many. In the light of what has happened in Ramjas, SRCC, and other DU colleges, we wanted to convey a message that violence on campus cannot be normalized,” said Kaur speaking of the inspiration behind the protest.
Students from different DU colleges came out in solidarity with the protest, armed with banners, hand drums, and poetry to “protect democratic spaces on and off campuses.”
Aameen, a second year History Honours student at SGTB Khalsa college, probably summed up the sentiments of the protesters in his poem that he performed during the protest.
“Bharat Mata ko sawaalon se khatra nahin hain. Bharat Mata ko khamoshi se khatra hain... Virodh Bharat Mata ke khilaaf nahin hain. Virodh Bharat Mata ke dalalo ke khilaaf hain.”
