ABVP vs Rest: More student marches in DU, JNU as Ramjas protests escalate
Protests in Delhi by students over Ramjas issue are set to intensify as student groups have planned marches in DU and JNU campuses this week. While ABVP has called for a march against support to ‘anti-nationals’, others are protesting against ABVP’s ‘goondagardi’
Protests over the Ramjas College incident that shook Delhi University last week, refuse to die down.
Calling it a march for the country, the Delhi University Students Union will hold a ‘Tiranga March’ early on Monday. Later in the day at 4pm, JNU students union (JNUSU) has called for a public meeting at the Administrative Block. Following this, on Tuesday, students and teachers from Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have planned a march from Khalsa College to Arts Faculty.
DUSU’s Tiranga March led by ABVP will start at 12.30pm from Ramjas College parking to the Faculty of Arts. With hashtags #March4nation, #IstandwithRamjas and #Istandwithnationalism, the ABVP says they will be protesting against Left leaning student groups for allegedly supporting those involved in anti-national activities.
In the evening, Nandini Sundar, teacher at DU’s sociology department, Rajeev Kanwar of Dyal Singh College and some DU students will address a public meeting at JNU against the violence at Ramjas College. “This is our call to re-assert right to freedom of speech and expression and raising voice against violence and our solidarity with DU students,” said Mohit K Pandey, JNUSU president.
Tuesday will see another protest by groups of Left Wing students and teachers, who will march from Khalsa College to Arts Faculty against the stalling of the street play competition at SGTB Khlasa College. The competition was put on hold allegedly after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) objected to the content of some plays. Calling it a #FightbackDUmarch and #DUagainstGoondagardi, groups such as Pinjra Tod who have been fighting against discriminatory hostel rules, will also be a part of the march. The group has created a Facebook event for this march and invited students to join in large numbers. JNU students and teachers will also be a part of the march on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Ambedkar University, Delhi Faculty Association, has also sent its solidarity message to students and teachers of DU and condemned the violence. “Listening to differing perspectives, debating over complex politico-cultural narratives, and reclaiming faith in dialogue underlies the spirit of education in a democracy... University campuses are meant to represent and nurture clashes in ideas, but when they are changed into a zone for intolerance and violence to thwart multiplicity in conversations, then they are under siege,” said a statement from the association. They have also raised concern over the attack on autonomy and resolved to keep the spirit of dialogue and dissent strong within AUD.
