Here's What Happened At Ramjas College That Led To The Clashes Between ABVP, AISA And Delhi Police
Delhi University's North Campus seems to have turned into a battleground with ideologically-charged student groups backed by Left and Right wing political parties locking horns.
Twitter/@afzlkhan443
The tussle is not limited to students only as several teachers and media persons have also borne the brunt of the ongoing brawl between the groups. While the Left-wing student groups are blaming the RSS' student wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad of hampering their right to express themselves in academic institutions, the latter, on the other hand, are dubbing the former as "anti-nationals".
For those, who are watching all this on their TV screens is a bit difficult to comprehend, as many would want to keep it easy ~ students should just study.
Twitter/@shankar_kys
It all started with a protest against a two-day seminar organised by Delhi University¡¯s Ramjas College, called ¡°Cultures of Protest¡±. The members of the ABVP were against the participation of Jawaharlal Nehru University students, Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid Shora at the seminar. According to them, the JNU students were involved in the anti-India sloganeering that took place at JNU last year. The ABVP protest took a violent turn when some of its members allegedly attacked the students who were supporting the seminar.
Here's the chain of events:
On Wednesday, February 21, the ABVP used their violent mob power to stop the seminar.
Facebook/Harron Kavanoor
On the first day of the protests, members of the ABVP not only blocked the entrance of the conference hall but also started pelting stones and breaking window panes. Amid the escalating tension, the police also allegedly refused to intervene.
The same day, Ramjas college students held a peaceful march from the campus to the Maurice Nagar police station, but that's when things turned ugly. Professors, students and journalist were all dragged into the brutish use of force by the police and the ABVP members.
Several journalists, including Times of India correspondent Somreet Bhattacharya and photographer Anindya Chattopadhyay, Quint reporter Taruni Kumar and cameraperson Shiv Kumar Maurya, reporter Anant Prakash, Hindustan Times reporter Ananya Bhardwaj, Times Now reporter Priyank and cameraperson Mazhar Khan, and photographer Anand Sharma, were also injured in the attack.
According to reports, beside "several students", three teachers of different DU colleges -- Prasanta Chakraborty (English), Suvrita (History) and Mousumi Bose (Philosophy) -- were injured in the clashes and were rushed to Hindu Rao hospital.
Just can't get over this scene! Handful of "nationalists" trying to choke this professor with his muffler! THIS HAPPENED TODAY at #Ramjas ! pic.twitter.com/7Jh8ggrF5h
¡ª Ratnpriya. (@jimmy9_girl) February 22, 2017
All classes stood suspended and there was heavy police deployment to maintain peace. Students, including the one's who were invited for the conference, condemned the attack:
4) The cowardly @delhipolice says they can't do anything about the assault & can't protect Umar!
¡ª Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) February 21, 2017
This is how they behave during riots.
4) The cowardly @delhipolice says they can't do anything about the assault & can't protect Umar!
¡ª Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) February 21, 2017
This is how they behave during riots.
JNU and DU students, who are members of AISA, staged a protest at ITO Delhi Police Headquarters on Thursday, demanding action against " police who mistreated people during the protests.
On Thursday, an atmosphere of fear lingered on the campus, according to an Indian Express report several students and teachers were getting the anonymous message, warning them not to step out. The report quotes the message doing rounds, ¡°Midnight raids being planned on a lot of people. People in PGs should hopefully be safe, especially females. But the males, if you can evacuate the campus, do so right now. Don¡¯t stay on campus if you were involved in protests yesterday and today.¡±
Meanwhile, three senior police personnel were suspended on Thursday for manhandling media persons and students in Delhi University¡¯s Ramjas College on Wednesday
¡°Three police officials (Constables Vinod and Sachin, and Head Constable Raghunath) have been placed under suspension on the basis of an internal inquiry. The matter has been transferred to Crime Branch,¡± said Delhi Police Spokesperson and Special Commissioner Dependra Pathak.
Kawalpreet Kaur, a member of the AISA has been actively sharing all of the updates on her Facebook page.
The government, on the other hand, seems to be keeping a distance from the matter. However, it has clarified that freedom of expression of every citizen will be secured in the country, but people who have anti-India sentiments will not be tolerated and a stern action will be taken against them.
Commenting on the incident, former DU student, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, told reporters "No anti-India slogans will be allowed in the name of freedom of speech. Freedom of expression in the country does not give anyone the right to make college campuses hub of anti-national activity."
#FightBackDU
¡ª Ratnpriya. (@jimmy9_girl) February 22, 2017
Outside #Ramjas College NOW! pic.twitter.com/RdohFD0aQU
The violence at Ramjas is not just a dark reminder of the JNU protests, but also the stranglehold of the Right-wing in these institutions. Last year, Umar Khalid along with Kanhaiya Kumar PhD scholars from JNU, were accused of sedition for raising anti-national slogans at an event organised to honour Afzal Guru, who was convicted for Parliament attack in 2001.
With agency inputs
