Hyderabad Central University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Film and Television Institute of India, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, Jadavpur University, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, English and Foreign Languages University and now Delhi University - the space for debate and discussion is shrinking in India. Universities are supposed to be bastions of creativity and intellectual freedom, where one learns to ask questions; to develop independent thought and to participate in vigorous discussions. Instead, what we are witnessing today is rising intolerance, the stifling of ideas, and an assault on intellectual freedom and free speech.
On the one hand, we have a Prime Minister who says Indian universities should aspire to be amongst the top 100 universities globally, and yet his own party’s student organization, Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), unleashed an attack on research scholars who were invited to Ramjas College in Delhi university to present their ideas recently. These students’ ideas, much like themselves, said the self-proclaimed ‘nationalists’, were ‘anti-national’. But, who gets to decide who and what passes for ‘nationalism’? Is the Political Right in India now the sole custodian of ‘nationalism’ and ‘patriotism’?
Student and activist Umar Khalid found himself targeted by right-wing student organisations yet again
The moment patriotism triumphs over humanity, it's of no use. But, for the Political Right, the concept of humanity itself doesn't extend to all
Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote India’s national anthem, once said: “Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity. I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds, and I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live”. The moment patriotism triumphs over humanity, it’s of no use. But, for the Political Right, the concept of humanity itself doesn’t extend to all. The humanity and suffering of those in Chhattisgarh and Kashmir, for instance, is hardly ever a concern for the right-wing ‘nationalists’. If it was, then you’d see them speaking out against the routine witch hunting, bloodshed and mass rapes of women in those two regions (as in several other parts of India).
This is evident from the case of Umar Khalid, a PhD research scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The right wing was protesting against him because he’s been vocal in the past on the question of Kashmir. He was stopped from presenting his research paper at a seminar that was held in Ramjas College in Delhi University (the center of the storm) in which he was to address the plight of Chhattisgarh’s Adivasis, against whom the state, in collusion with multinational private companies, waged a war under the guise of a ‘development’ agenda.
In the current political climate, whosoever questions the ‘development’ agenda of the government or indeed the government itself, gets branded ‘anti-national’. There’s a witch-hunt going on against students and teachers who question the policies of this government or who show solidarity with those on the margins - both inside and outside the campus. This current trend is particularly tough on those students who belong to the oppressed communities, come from rural areas and are first-generation learners.
Commentators have argued that space for dissent on Indian campuses has shrunk rapidly under the Modi administration
A case in point would be the death of a Dalit student, Rohith Vemula from the University of Hyderabad, who committed suicide in 2016, following his fellowship being stopped by the university. The institute’s disciplinary inquiry raised issues with him for his political stance and his role as a student activist as a member of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA). The whole issue started when Vemula along with other ASA members objected to the death penalty that was issued for Yakub Menon, a convict in the 1993 Bombay blast in which 257 people were killed. Later, Vemula along with other members of the ASA, condemned the ABVP attack on the screening of the documentary Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai (on the 2013 riot victims) that was held at Delhi University. This, of course, did not go down well with the university administration. What was termed as ‘suicide’ could very well be termed as an institutional murder!
Just recently, another Dalit student in JNU, J. Muthukrishnan, committed suicide - leaving behind his last post on Facebook hinting at caste-based discrimination that several Dalit students like him face at university campuses throughout the country. Yet, massive cuts have been announced throughout the country for universities under the Modi government and there’s been an active crackdown on students who challenge the status quo and ask difficult questions.
Since Modi has taken power, university campuses, much like the broader society, have become highly polarised. It remains to be seen to what extent those asking questions of this government, both inside and outside the campus, will have answers to shape India’s future.
Prerna Bakshi is the author of Burnt Rotis, With Love. She tweets at @bprerna. For more: http://prernabakshi.strikingly.com/
