Speaking up against govt requires courage, say activists

Students are at the forefront of protests across the country currently, said activist Medha Patkar on Friday, referring to the ongoing protests against the Citizenship

Students are at the forefront of protests across the country currently, said activist Medha Patkar on Friday, referring to the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

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Patkar was speaking at a panel discussion on the importance of activism at Techfest, the annual technology festival of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B).

Over the past month, protests against CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) have gathered steam across the country. Several protests have been anchored by student organisations across India, including Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia.

In Mumbai, students of IIT-Bombay and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), too, have been holding rallies against CAA.

“In the current times, you need courage and confidence to speak out. Freedom of expression, which is missing, must be gained back,” said Patkar, adding that assertion of rights was not being permitted currently.

Right to Information (RTI) activist Shailesh Gandhi, who was also a part of the panel, said that under the current circumstances, it requires courage to speak up against the government.

“Activism is the active intervention into situations of inequity and injustice. All of us need to take up this role,” Patkar said.