Students, ABVP members burn Manusmriti despite JNU denying nod

Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, including former and current ABVP members, on Tuesday burnt portions of Manusmriti, an ancient legal text, calling it “derogatory” for women.

Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, including former and current ABVP members, on Tuesday burnt portions of Manusmriti, an ancient legal text, calling it “derogatory” for women.

JNU Students burn a Manu smriti and protest against arrest of JNUSU students at JNU campus, in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday (Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times)

“Manusmriti has content which is derogatory for women. There are things said in this book which have absolutely no place in our society. By burning these portions, we want to say that we condemn ideas that are against women,” said Pradeep Narwal, former joint secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s JNU unit.

Narwal pointed out that the text says, “a female child, young woman or old woman is not supposed to work independently even at her place of residence”.

“Such regressive thoughts are not acceptable,” he said.

Students went ahead with the event even after permission for the same was not denied by the university administration.

Students alleged that the document was anti-women and anti-Dalit. Two of the three students who left ABVP and current vice-president of JNU ABVP unit Jatin Goraiya were present at the event.

“Today is women’s day and we are burning certain portions of the text which are derogatory. This burning of Manusmriti will symbolise burning of history of exploitation,” said Goraiya.

Students from Left parties such as All India Students Association and Democratic Students Federation were also present in the event to express solidarity.

Three students had recently left ABVP criticising the way the central government has been tackling the issue of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.

Narwal along with Rahul Yadav, president, School of Social Sciences (SSS) unit and Ankit Hans, secretary of the same unit had resigned from the party.

The three had dissociated themselves from any further activity of the ABVP.