SPPU, FTII join forces in 1000-person march to condemn JNU attack

With the beats of the ‘Daf’, and ‘Manjira’ playing in the background, at least 1,000 students gathered at the FTII main gate holding placards with messages like ‘Long Live Student Unity’ , and ‘Stand With JNU’

The anger over Sunday’s attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and teachers continued to spill onto the roads and educational campuses in the city. On Tuesday, the students of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) joined forces and held a protest march to express their solidarity against the violence.

Student organisations protest at FTII to condemn the attacks on JNU students in Pune, India, on Tuesday, January 7, 2020. (Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)

With the beats of the ‘Daf’, and ‘Manjira’ playing in the background, at least 1,000 students gathered at the FTII main gate holding placards with messages like ‘Long Live Students Unity’ , and ‘Stand With JNU’.

Starting at 5.15 pm, the serpentine crowd slowly made its way through Law College road, crossing Bhandharkar Institute, Bal Bharati, Symbiosis College, Hotel Marriott, Chatuhshrungi temple and finally making their way to the Ambedkar Statue inside SPPU campus.

While walking in pairs, the students also shouted ‘azaadi’ slogans. People from all walks of life also joined the protest. The crowd reached SPPU at 8 pm and continued the protest.

V Aadith, president FTII student association said, “The march was a combined call from FTII and SPPU. Currently we are facing problems with unemployment, economic slowdown and people are pushed to prove their identity in this country, so this fight is against these issues.”

“Attacks are not only happening only in JNU but are happening across the various campus of the country. This is the idea of the government to hide the economic slowdown by creating such attacks on students, pushing people to fight for their identity,” said Satish Gore, youth Congress state secretary.

National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) also participated in the peaceful march and lead a group of visually impaired supporters.

Nikhil Narkar , visiting faculty, Symbiosis school of Liberal Arts, and former student of JNU said, “

“This incident cannot be looked at in isolation. JNU administration’s attempt to increase the fees is part of making sure that in future, even affordable universities like JNU can be privatised. JNU students have been fighting against this for the last three months. They have fought against such terror tactics resolutely, they require a lot of strength and support from all over India and as citizens who are concerned about the deteriorating status of our economy and saffronisation of our social fabric. It is our responsibility to organise peaceful social protest where ever we can. Pune has shown a lot of courage and responsibility to hold forth an image of secular and all-inclusive India.”