JNU student Harshit Agarwal on JNU protests and arrests

JNU teachers protest against random arrests

Harshit Agarwal, student of JNU and eyewitness to the events that unfolded after the protest by DSU on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus. Originally posted on Quora.

A lot of answers are here. The only weird thing is not one of them is from a JNU student or who witnessed what happened on that controversial day and yet everyone has such strong opinions about the whole incident from people calling everyone studying in JNU as terrorists, jihadis and naxals to asking for the university to be completely shutdown!

I am a JNU student studying right now and also happen to be a witness from distance for some events that happened on that controversial date – 9th February 2016. So, that kinda renders me more legitimate to answer this question than people who only know about it through Zee News and Times Now.

On 9th February 2016, ex-members of a student organization DSU, short for ‘Democratic Students Union’ had called for a cultural meeting of a protest against what they called ‘the judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat’ and in solidarity with ‘the struggle of Kashmiri people for their democratic right to self-determination.’ A lot of Kashmiri students from inside and outside the campus were to attend the event.

‘Democratic Students Union(DSU)’ is an ultra-leftist group in the campus that believes in the ideology of Maoism. It’s a very small group of very well read students. They are not terrorists or naxals by any means. I have been in the campus for more than 2 years and never have I witnessed or heard of them committing a terror activity as much as of throwing a stone, let alone overthrowing the state!

Now, first things first.

Did they do something wrong in organizing a meeting over the issue of Kashmir? Is the issue of Kashmir so sacred to us and our brains so brainwashed with the idea of nazi-like nationalism that we are not even ready to hear about the issue of Kashmir from Kashmiris themselves?

Do I support the secession of Kashmir from India? No.

I am not even aware of the exact nuances of the political matter, but I am ready to hear, learn and debate all sorts of opinions, especially from the inhabitants themselves.

Now, did the organizers of the meeting do something wrong in calling Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat’s execution ‘judicial murder’? And was it the first time somebody raised an objection on capital punishment and the judgement of a court?

After Afzal Guru was hanged, a lot of human rights group condemned the hanging. The political party PDP with whom BJP has formed a government in Jammu and Kashmir itself called Afzal’s hanging ‘travesty of justice’. Arundhati Roy condemned it. Shashi Tharoor called it wrong. Markandey Katju has severely criticized it.

Praveen Swami, Indian journalist, analyst and author specialising on international strategic and security issues wrote in The Hindu,

“The Supreme Court’s word is not, and ought not to be, the final word. Indeed, the deep ambiguities that surround Guru’s case are in themselves compelling argument to rethink the death penalty.”

Former Delhi High Court chief justice, Justice AP Shah, said that the hanging of Afzal Guru and Yakub Memon were politically motivated.

Now were all these people anti-nationals, terrorists, jihadis?

I have faith in your wisdom to answer that.

Now coming to next issue – the shouting of ‘anti-national slogans’.

Now 20 minutes before the meeting was going to start, ABVP, who consider themselves to be the sole harbingers of nationalism, wrote to the administration asking it to withdraw the permission of organizing the meeting as it was ‘harmful for campus’ atmosphere’. The administration, feeling afraid of clashes, denied the permission. Now, for those who do not know, JNU is a beautiful democratic space where all voices are heard, all opinions however radical, respected. And ABVP was scuttling that space.

DSU asked for help from JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union) and other left student organizations like SFI(Students Federation of India), and AISA(All India Students Association) to gather in support of their right to democratically and peacefully hold meeting and mind you, NOT in support of their ideology or their stand on Kashmir. DSU, JNUSU, and other student organizations decided they would not let the administration and the ABVP scuttle their hard-earned democratic space to debate and discuss, and decided to go ahead with the meeting.

The administration sent security guards to cover the badminton court where the meeting was supposed to happen, and denied the permission to use mics. The organizers agreed.

They decided they would continue the meeting around the dhaba itself and without the mics. However, the ABVP mobilized its cadres and started threatening and intimidating the students and organizers. They started shouting cliched slogans like

‘Ye Kashmir Hamara hai, saara ka saara hai.’

The organizers as a response to them, and to create solidarity among the students attending the meeting started shouting,

“Hum kya chaahte? Azaadi!”

Do you think there was something highly inflammatory  and dangerous in this statement? Think about it. Nations break all the time. We were chanting the same slogan under Britishers. Soviet Union disintegrated. Secession is neither good nor bad. It depends on the precise circumstances of the region. And mind you, I don’t support the secession of Kashmir. I claim to have insufficient knowledge of the situation and conditions of the people residing in that region. Hence, I am neither for nor against it. Hence, I have no problems with a group of students simply shouting slogans in support of a particular region’s freedom. They were not planning a conspiracy to overthrow the government and seize Kashmir from India. They were simple students who read, travel and learn about socio-political issues and have a stand about it.

Next slogan –

“Tum kitne Afzal maaroge, har ghar se Afzal niklega!”

Now, I did not study the case closely, and hence, would believe in the courts of India and therefore, I believe Afzal Guru was a terrorist. Though principally I am against capital punishment.

However, this group of students believed that he did not deserve capital punishment and also have their skepticism about his involvement in the parliamentary attack. I am picking up this from wikipedia –

“It has to be noted, that in its judgement of 5 August 2005, the supreme court admitted that the evidence against Guru was only circumstantial, and that there was no evidence that he belonged to any terrorist group or organisation.”

And this directly from the Supreme Court judgement:

“The incident, which resulted in heavy casualties, had shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will only be satisfied if the capital punishment is awarded to the offender.”

So, a group of students believe that Afzal Guru was framed, had no role in the attack on the parliament and his capital punishment was wrong. Big deal?

And were therefore shouting, “Har ghar se Afzal niklega!”

And mind you, these people are not carrying any arms, all they are carrying are ideas.

So, in such a case, what should the state do? Charge them for conspiracy against the state? Or maybe merely try to engage with them, debate with them about a difference of opinion?

And was this some secretly organized meeting about overthrowing the government smuggling in bombs and grenades? No, this was a public meeting. Everyone was invited. You were free to disagree with them. They are not doing it in hiding. If they were terrorists they would not come out in public! But didn’t you see them all at your TV channels courageously defending themselves and their right to have a difference of opinion? Tell me, which traits of terrorists do you find in them?

Now, I’ll come to the most controversial part – the slogans against India.

In the meeting, there was a whole group of Kashmiri students which had come from outside JNU to attend the meeting. If you would even look closely at the video that is being circulated, you will only see these students who had formed a circle in the center of the gathering. And trust me ,not one of whom was from JNU! I was present during the event for some time, and I could not recognize a single face from that group as being from JNU.

This group of students, who belonged to Kashmir, and had faced the wrath of the AFSPA for decades, were angered to see ABVP disrupt their meeting, and started shouting the slogans against India, like:

“Bharat ki barbaadi tak, jung rahegi, jung rahegi!”
“India, Go Back”

In my almost 2.5 years of stay in JNU, I have never heard these slogans shouted anywhere. These are nowhere even close to the ideology of any left parties, let alone DSU.

To make things clearer, here is what a Kashmiri student who is not a JNU student and who was not present in the meeting, has written about the slogans on his facebook wall, after hearing them on youtube:

“Let me do the “DECONSTRUCTION” not Derridian but ‘Kashmiri deconstruction’ of the slogans that have become so controversial.

1. BHARAT KEE BARBADI TAK JANG RAHEY GEE

Bharat for a Kashmiri young men and women who were born in 1990s and after means Indian Military Establishment. The representative image of Indian state is always, Men-in-uniform-with-weapons.

BARBADI is used in the same lexicon as it’s used by different organizations in India. It means end to the military occupation of Kashmir.

JANG means struggle, whether peaceful, Gandhian, Marxian, Gramscian or violent depends on your interpretation of the word.

I hope it leads to some clarity. Anyways it might be a ‘fringe’ slogan in spaces like JNU but it’s a ‘mass’ slogan in Kashmir.

2. AZADI: The word AZADI, which is the most confusing word for ‘Indians’. Let me simplify it for you. It’s not a seditious slogan nor is it secessionist. AZADI as a slogan is historically, socially, culturally, conceptually and principally rooted in the principle of Right to Self Determination of people belonging to a region occupied by two nation-states identified as Kashmir.

Let me add more, Azadi is a synonym of Resistance and has a very deep aspirational value attached to it.”

About the slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, it is disputed. I did not hear any such slogan while I was present there. There is a slogan in a video, but it’s not clear as to who shouted it – the Kashmiri students or the ABVP as a conspiracy, as this video below explains:

Now, that it’s been clear that no JNU student was involved in shouting anti-India slogans, let’s come to the way the government responded to this:

The police on the orders of Home Minister Rajnath Singh raid our univeristy and then hostels. They pick up the JNUSU President from within the campus with no substantial evidence and the court remands him for a 3 day police custody. He did not shout the slogans. He is a member of the All India Students Federation(AISF) which is the student wing of the Communist Party of India(CPI) which has no Maoist or secessionist ideology and is the mildest of all left parties.

Yesterday too, seven more students were picked up by the police from the campus.

I say, if you are hell bent on arresting, arrest those Kashmiri students at the most. But ruthlessly witch-hunting students is outrageous and clearly not what you would expect from a democratic government!

And finally, I am going to touch a raw nerve here, but I think it’s become important that someone does –

“Why are we so volatile regarding our ideas of nationalism? Why do we treat it like religion? Somebody shouts few slogans and it becomes absolute blasphemy! A university is a place for debate, discussion and dissent! Slogans should be answered by slogans, and not by sedition charges!”

Elaborating on this, I would like to quote the first prime minister of India ‘Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, whose name the university bears:

A University stands for humanism. For tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth. It stands for the onward march of the human race towards ever higher objectives. If the Universities discharge their duties adequately, then it is well with the Nation and the People.”

At such a crucial time, when JNU is facing all kinds of fabricated lies and flak from media, I would urge all of you to stand with JNU. It is one of a kind of university and it’s absolutely beautiful, both in it’s spirit and geography.

I urge you all to visit my university sometime. It welcomes everyone, accommodates everyone…:)

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28 thoughts on “JNU student Harshit Agarwal on JNU protests and arrests”

  1. Hello, i would like to thanx Harshit Agrawal for throwing light on what took place in jnu is debated on national tv (media) in the biased manner..!
    After reading the post my perspective have definitely changed .

    1. lalhgehiFebruary 15, 2016 at 10:42 pmNow, did the organizers of the meeting do something wrong in calling Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat’s execution ‘judicial murder’? And was it the first time somebody raised an objection on capital punishment and the judgement of a court?
      After Afzal Guru was hanged, a lot of human rights group condemned the hanging. The political party PDP with whom BJP has formed a government in Jammu and Kashmir itself called Afzal’s hanging ‘travesty of justice’. Arundhati Roy condemned it. Shashi Tharoor called it wrong. Markandey Katju has severely criticized it.Praveen Swami, Indian journalist, analyst and author specialising on international strategic … I respect the decision of Indian courts. THOSE WHO CONDEMN THE DECISION OF OUR COURTS, ARETRAITORS OF HINDUSTAN. THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO LIVE IN INDIA. ALL AFZAL GURU AND HIS SUPPORTERS ARE TRAITORS, HARAM-KHORS, THEY SHOULD BE KICKED OUT FROM THE BLESSED SOIL OF HINDUSTAN OR ELIMINATED FROM THEIR ROOTS.  Opportunist, Arundhati and  goons, are vultures of Hindustan….!Tr.    

    1. Bona Fide students of JNU are openly having their say. Three bona fide students of JNU and ABVP leaders resigned because of what BJP was doing. One Zee TV producer (the channel that first aired the edited video misrepresenting the slogans) resigned because his ethics could not accept the demonizing of Indian students with fabricated evidence and endangering their lives by setting precisely your kind of people who will blindly consume hate propaganda without question, on a path of blind hate and harm against them.

    2. Why is it that these “nationals” like you, screaming about patriotism and nationalism, and tagging others as anti-nationals, always seem to be such uneducated people. You cannot write a proper sentence and the lack of thought is made up for by using hate words.

      It’s ironic how you people hand out judgement and label people traitor when you do not have the mental capacity to present your side or to back your screaming up with facts.

      1. AnuWhy is it that these “nationals” like you, screaming about patriotism and nationalism, and tagging others as anti-nationals, always seem to be such uneducated people. You cannot write a proper sentence and the lack of thought is made up for by using hate words.It’s ironic how you people hand out judgement and label people traitor when you do not have the mental capacity to present your side or to back your screaming up with facts.
        Reply to this email to reply to Anu.
        Hindustan belongs to all PATRIOTS Indians…. NOT traitors, haram-khors, and vultures of Bharat. If you don’t feel like patriot Indian, LEAVE INDIA… INDIA DOES NOT WANT YOU, BECAUSE YOU DO NOT BELONGTO LAND OF HINDUS, CALLED HINDUSTAN.
        Tr.     

  2. Now, did the organizers of the meeting do something wrong in calling Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat’s execution ‘judicial murder’? And was it the first time somebody raised an objection on capital punishment and the judgement of a court?
    After Afzal Guru was hanged, a lot of human rights group condemned the hanging. The political party PDP with whom BJP has formed a government in Jammu and Kashmir itself called Afzal’s hanging ‘travesty of justice’. Arundhati Roy condemned it. Shashi Tharoor called it wrong. Markandey Katju has severely criticized it.Praveen Swami, Indian journalist, analyst and author specialising on international strategic and security issues wrote in The Hindu, All those traitors and HARAM-KHORS were silent, when traitors and terrorists were killing innocent people ofIndia, on the streets, when such CRIMINALS are punished, THE TRAITORS want to break HINDUSTAN in to pieces.?!! We ignorant HINDUS OF HINDUSTAN CALL SUCH ANARCHY, ABUSE AND INSULT TO OUR MOTHERLAND, an Indian democracy ?!! THROW ALL SUCH TRAITORS / HOODLUMS, IN INDIAN OCEAN, INDIA DOES NOT NEED SUCH TRAITORS ON THE BLESSED SOIL OF BHARAT MATA.  WE IGNORANT 80% HINDU TAXPAYERS, ARE SILENTLY NURSING VULTURES AND POISONOUS SNAKES, ON THE BLESSED SOIL OF BHARAT.  !!!God bless BharatTr.    

  3. Dear Harshit ,

    Praising some one who has been held guilty by the law of land , or saying that you hve the freedom of speech to say anything against the mother land , does not leave a good taste in the mouth.

    Interpreting that this was the meaning of this and that of that shows immaturity at your level .

    If student want azaadi let them fight on the borders of the country and not in the campus .

    Every such protester will turn spine less to face a bullet from the front .all may not be involved but those involved should not be spared . SPEAK AGAINST MY MOTHER LAND AND FACE THE FURY OF THE MASSES .

    1. No one spoke against your mother land. It has not been proved yet. Those who did might as well be your ideal ABVP workers. They have been seen shouting Pakistan zindabad in many videos.

      1. AnuNo one spoke against your mother land. It has not been proved yet. Those who did might as well be your ideal ABVP workers. They have been seen shouting Pakistan zindabad in many videos.
        I don’t know, who is so called, dual face,traitor, Anu. It seems he is not Indian. what does he mean by ” Your motherland “INDIA IS MOTHER LAND OF ALL PATRIOT INDIANS. Tr.  

  4. A nice attempt to cover up.The first question is why should there be so-called cultural meeting to protest for the implementation of death penalty of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat only now after so many years? Secondly is it necessary throw stones and is it not enough to instigate people to rise against the country?And when you shout Hame Azadi Chahiye what does it mean? And this forum a court to argue and dissect the most controversial slogan to prove that there is nothing anti-national in that. And if as he argues some outsiders have come and shouted the slogans, was it not the duty os the organizers to ensure that such outsiders are thrown out and cancel the meeting it it was goi out of control?

    1. “Tum kitne Afzal maaroge, har ghar se Afzal niklega!” JITNAY PAIDA HONGAY, OSS SAY ZIYADA.  INDIA DOES NOT NEED JAI CHANDS AND TRAITORS, ON THE BLESSED SOIL OF HINDUSTAN.  God bless BharatTr.   

  5. Dear Mr.Ranga Rao, Thank you for both the articles.
    It appears to be nothing but politicking galore to score brownie points. I wonder whether some state elections are due somewhere.
    I had found this new item earlier, pls. see the video. Whoever, said Bharat ki barbadi, Jai Pakistan etc obviously has to be charged with sedition. Now, the question is who said this? Or was it a set up?https://in.news.yahoo.com/afzal-guru-protests-police-slap-031000571.html

    Even during my school and college days I had always thought that political party patronage to student leaders should not be allowed but as that is not possible therefore there should not be any unions or student elections in any school or college so as to keep the greasy arm of the dirty politicians away from the students.  Regards,Melroy 

  6. Pl do not send such disgusting mails to us. Author of the mail is so mischievous that he shows ignorance on all issues of Kashmir, nationalism and other sensitive issues and in same breath justifies stinking events at JNU. He does not recognise slogan shouting mob since his vision fails and he does not hear anti national slogans and starts suffering from selective amnesia. Shame on such so called students who are availing tax payers’ money at the campus and insult the supreme sacrifices of men who are guarding the nation. It is serious crime to even attempt redefining words like Azadi etc. Author claims to be eye witness but ignores all uncomfortable points and instead tries to play victim card. Shame on you.
    I feel ashamed to tolerate people like you as my fellow countrymen.

  7. Students are meant to study. Universities are funded with the money of the people of “Bharath”. Students have a choice to finish their studies and then take up political causes. If they want to have such causes inside universities, let them also be prepared to face consequences.

    India is a secular sovereign socialist democratic republic. Learn to use freedom wisely.

  8. Since you’ve taken the trouble to mail me, you cunts, I must tell you what I think of you. Motherfucking bastards, you are.

    1. “Hum kya chaahte? Azaadi!”

      INDIA  MUST TREAT ALL THOSE HARAM-KHOR TRAITORS LIKE CHINA AND JAPAN TREATS THEM. !!
      BECAUSE INDIAN STYLE Aazadi, HAS GIVEN THEM TONGUE TO SPEAK. !!
      CHINA SILENTLY KILLED OVER 15 MILLION SUCH HARAM-KHORS, WHOWANTED TO BREAK CHINA. !
      INDIAN PATRIOTS MUST WAKE UP AND THROW ALL SUCH TRAITORS OFBHARAT, IN INDIAN OCEAN, LIKE TERRORIST OSAMA WAS TREATED. !!
      INDIAN GOVERNMENT MUST STOP GRANTS AND EDUCATION TO SUCH TRAITORS OF HINDUSTAN, WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.  JNU MUST BE RE NAMED AS LAL BHADUR SHASTRI UNIVERSITY, OR SUBHAS CHANDER BOSE UNIVERSITY.  God bless BharatTr.      

      1. You would rather like living in China then right?
        This is a good thing that we have freedom of speech here. You cannot even say a sentence without shouting and you want freedom of speech to be abolished?

        You should have the sense that the students are not “traitors”, atleast until proved in court.

        Stop this nonsense. Just because you are a blind bhakt do you think that you are safe. BJP is just creating a fearful environment.
        This truly is a dark hour. but those who are blind cannot see it.

        1. Since you’ve taken the trouble to mail me, you cunts, I must tell you what I think of you. Motherfucking bastards, you are.lalhgehi“Hum kya chaahte? Azaadi!”INDIA  MUST TREAT ALL THOSE HARAM-KHOR TRAITORS LIKE CHINA AND JAPAN TREATS THEM. !!
          BECAUSE INDIAN STYLE Aazadi, HAS GIVEN THEM TONGUE TO SPEAK. !!
          CHINA SILENTLY KILLED OVER 15 MILLION SUCH HARAM-KHORS, WHOWANTED TO BREAK CHINA. !
          INDIAN PATRIOTS MUST WAKE UP AND THROW ALL SUCH TRAITORS OFBHARAT, IN INDIAN OCEAN, LIKE TERRORIST OSAMA WAS TREATED. !!
          INDIAN GOVERNMENT MUST STOP GRANTS AND EDUCATION TO SUCH TRAITORS OF HINDUSTAN, WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.  JNU MUST BE RE NAMED AS LAL BHADUR SHASTRI UNIVERSITY, OR SUBHAS CHANDER BOSE UNIVERSITY.  God bless BharatTr.      

  9. First of all those arrested need not worry , while the judiciary may be guilty of several crimes but it is not biased in favor of any one of the political parties.
    Two: Those opposing Indian rule in Kashmir as if having captured it by means of a military aggression must know that India was invited not only by then king of J N K but also overwhelmingly welcomed by the people of Kashmir. They only need to dig up archives to discover mayhem caused by the Pakistani military including raping of Kashmiri women under the garb of rising by the tribal group of Vaziristan-known as tyfawalas. In the years following its constitutional, legal and emotional annexation with India, the Indian taxpayers have contributed very heavily for its development. The Indian military too has made huge sacrifices in terms of casualties suffered by it during and off the two aggressions made by Pakistan and the terrors unleashed by Pakistan against India remains unabated. Now if under the instigation from and enticements offered by Pakistan which has turned it a self devouring demon or some Kashmiri youth start yelling against imaginary Indian hegemony, should the Indian nation surrender to such yelling and protests which have become extremely violent? If India was such an obnoxious colonial ruler, why would it hold elections there both local and national levels from time to time? Is there a shade of evidence of Indian Governments fixing electoral process in Kashmir? Is this demand for cessation of Kashmir as a part of Indian Union simply because the Valley Kashmiris are Moslems and they would rather be with Pakistan being an Islamic state then with secular India? This failed theocratic state of Pakistan is just shedding crocodile tears on the basis of trumped up charges of Indian atrocities against fellow Moslems across the border? Never mind Pakistan having unleashed in past the state sponsored terror in faraway erstwhile East Pakistan now Bangladesh having 90 % Moslem ethnicity , at home the Punjabis dominating the political scene are playing havoc with other components of its federal structure namely Baloochistan, Sindh and North West Frontier state of Pakhtoonistan. Should any other Indian state start demanding right to secede, should its demand be met with? The answer to such a problem was provided by Abraham Lincoln, no need to elaborate on this and the same goes for Kashmir.
    Three: As regards those denouncing the judicial killings of Afzal Guru and Maqbul Butt under the garb of democratic values must realize that an average Indian does not believe in or relish such demand for a freedom by so called intellectuals who depend on the state largess. The demand for abolition for capital punishment can not be raised when it comes to people like Afzal Guru, Maqbul Butt and Yakub Menon. If the Kashmir separatists feel so concerned about human life, they should stop killing innocent people in Kashmir including members of the India armed forces.
    Four: Who the author of the letter is trying to fool by giving strange rather childish definitions of terms jeehadi, barbadi, etc.? Not acceptable as they exactly mean with what they are meant to be destruction of India through violence , NOT ACCEPTABLE, call us ruthless colonialists if you so desire. The anti India sloganeering and unauthorized waving of a non Indian flag on Indian soil do not form part of the freedom of expression or liberal thinking and are not acceptable.
    Six: JNU: The only achievement of JNU is to go against the mainstream India and its aspirations. Has it produced any Nobel laureate material so far or it only believes in arguments for sake of arguments and rubble raising? Their arguments by no means the type of arguments hailed by Amratya Sen in his book ‘Argumentative Indian’. The chest of every Indian swells with pride looking at who is who of young Indians across the globe all products of institutes other then JNU. Why the type of freedom of speech or expression demanded by JNU is not desirable because the country is now already paying very high price for the freedom enjoyed by the media especially the electronic media inciting divisions and strife within Indian society in the process inflicting irreparable damage to it. Indian democracy is not matured enough to digest the type of democracy practiced by some of the Western countries. So if JNU does not want to get its act together, no one is going to miss it if dumped. The writer of this reply is an atheist and does not believe or in any way supports the philosophy of RSS and other right organizations. The writer of this response strongly believes that there is a job to be done by all the Indians of any hue, faith, political and economic philosophy that of bringing prosperity to all the Indians, create a castless society and the nation taking its rightful place amidst the world community.
    Seven: Indian left movement is historically known for uninterrupted series of acts and deeds betrayals of mother India. When Mahatma gave a call for boycotting British efforts for fighting world war II, the communists under orders from their masters in Moscow joined hands with British. They joined hands pro Pakistini Razakars in conducting pogroms against defenseless Hindu subjects of Nizam. They justified 1962 Chinese invasion of India. They made life miserable for constitutionally elected governments in West Bengals and once in power there, they drove away the industry and business ruining the state just like Robert Clive did in the 18th century. They joined hands with Indira Gandhi during emergency. Look at the hypocrisy of the Indian Left, it now wants corrupt and dynastic Congress to join hands with it in defeating TMC in WB. This is a tribe which has been consistently harming the country and has the audacity to visit JNU in whipping out hatred against those who have been instrumental in exposing the events in JNU. Calling the government actions which may be right or wrong as those akin to emergency is not only farfetched but full of politic mischief. Did the Indian Left ever denounce the most heinous genocides in human carried out by Lenin, Stalin and Mao? How would it ever prove that its these very demigods were promoters of democracy? It is strange that the back home it bats for liberal atmosphere. The JNU left youth it appears wants to profess left ideology simply to make a statement but not out of conviction. A few years down the road, some of them will be adorning posts of CEOs in some out and out capitalist corporations so why wear a cap of left ideology now? It will be quite interesting to watch as to what in future the daughter of D. Raja does. Some likely scenarios: will she take up a job at some ‘anti people’ capitalist corporation? b) will she be a part of dynastic brigade in joining politics? 2) will she live off the property of her father-a blasphemous act in itself? 3) start her own enterprise which hopefully will make her realize ground realities of how difficult is to generate money.
    No offence meant to any one.

  10. Learned students should be aware of the consequences which can cause because of ignorance. Slogans should have been clear and precise and it was responsibility of the organizers to see to it what they want to exactly propose. Having said this, I personally believe university is the place to collaborate, share, propose ideas, protest (which can be extreme upto a limit set by constitution of India). Nothing constructive seem to conclude out of this scene but only political disguise. We should speak about progress and freedom in the right sense.

    1. Some haram-khor, so called Indians do not know sufferings of Kashmiri pundits and victims of partition. Even Congress dogs and corrupt Nehru khandan does not feel the pains of those victims, because they havesold their conscious, and character for petty personal gains. THAT IS WHY “ITALIAN” SONIA, CALLSHER SELF, PATRIOT HINDUSTANI. ” KAUWA CHALLA HANSS KI CHAAL ” !!ALL THOSE TRAITORS OF HINDUSTAN, MUST BE TORN, AND FED TO FISH OF INDIAN OCEAN, LIKETERRORIST OSAMA WAS TREATED BY AMERICA. NA KABHI JANAZA UTH-TAA, NA KHIN MAZAAR HOTA. ( Galib )Tr.     

  11. You try to justify every anti national behaviour with intellectual bullshit – either you are an Indian or not. The constitution does NOT allow unhindered freedom of speech – all your explanation regarding the anti India slogan is trying to shut the stable when the horse has bolted So stop this and let the law do their job

  12. I am really surprised at the intellectual ability of the writer. Shall i call him naive or call him dangerous?? For everything he says is it wrong?? And then he says they were not students of JNu.My dear author1. It is wrong for any student to stand up and talk so vehemently on supreme court judgement and waste time on analysing afzal gurus Why is it u chose afzal gurus and not any better positive contributor to discuss?? The intent is clearly a misuse of democracy. We all have.freedom.of speech but along comes responsibility. JUST BECAUSE U R PARENT DOES SOMETHING WRONG WILL U USE ABUSIVE LANGUAGE TO DEAL? This is what u r doing2. When problem came in the form of anti india slogans u r clevelry saying it is not students but outside. When u cannot control who will.attend what bloody right do u have to conduct such meeting3. U say they had no arms. Excuse me it is an idea that is.more dangerous than an arm. So dont act smart by makign intellectual statements and as if u r supplyibg some great raw infoPl have the audacity to accept u guys have done the big blunder to do such activities in campus.4. On one side modiji our PM is going countries saying we have biggest youth power. Instead of feeling proud and picking from there u guys chosing afzal guru shows ur negative and out of sync attitudesDont ever defend thisJyotsna cheruvu

  13. “Bharat means Military Establishment to the youth of Kashmir”….. It may be true. My dear friend before saying so go to the refugee colony of the Kashmiri Pandits and ask them what they think about the today’s Kashmiris…. Don’t simplify or oversimplify a problem which is not so simple….. Secondly the protesting students seemingly did not believe in Indian Constitution, but, reminded their opposition about the FREEDOM OF SPEECH etc….. which means they are not ready to take the responsibilities that the Constitution demands but all eager to taste its benefits …. yeah they are learning the VALUE BASED POLITICS as aleready learnt and practised by their big brothers in BJP, CONGRESS, CPM AND NUMEROUS REGIONAL PARTIES LIKE SP, BSP, TMC, AIADMK, DMK, RJD JD(U), ETC. Lastly, think twice before you speak and think think and think hundred times before you write.

    1. I find myself in the uncomfortable position of defending the author when I have avoided internet debates for their pointlessness in the past. However, your condescending remarks need to be addressed.
      You are asking the author to go to a Pandit refugee colony to ask their opinion of Kashmir. No doubt, some of them may harbour virulent views about what must be done to the Kashmiri muslims etc. What does that have to do with one set of people having opinions opposite to the other? In the first place, the author has humbly admitted that he does not know the issues very well and does not take a stand on either views. But are you saying that since the Kashmiri Pandits have a viewpoint, the other side has no right to their own? What is simplified or oversimplified when he clearly states that he DOES NOT know the issues intimately and has no idea of the nuances within and that he does not take sides at all?

      Where on earth did you get the idea that they do not believe in the Indian Constitution, by the way? This is exactly the kind of reaction that the author has questioned in the first place, along with the other students of JNU – are you so intolerant as to say that if you question the ills of your nation you automatically qualify as anti-national? Or, on the other hand, now you might notice that the Holy Constitution has amendments to it? Gasp! How dare they make changes even to one word in the gospel? Were the people who amended the Constitution committing an unpardonable sin? Who said that the constitution cannot be questioned at all? But in this case, they have not.
      Yes, the same freedom of speech that says that you may not like what the other person is saying but that he/she has the right to say it. That is the space that is shrinking in this country at the moment – the space to say anything. Debates and counter-views and dissent is what made the Constitution so vibrant and dynamic in the first place. How can you be a defender of the Constitution if you are unwilling to tolerate dissent?

      Finally, great advice in the last line, which one must suppose is universally applicable. It is a pity that after thinking a hundred times before you wrote your comment, it finally ended rather incoherently about some “value based politics” as a mysterious, cryptic realization that we ought to be aware of. And as mentioned, I avoid internet debates altogether, so the question of thinking a hundred times before I write does not arise at all. Call me a dolt, if you will, but I refuse to think. However, do I oppose your right to comment at all? Nope, never. In fact, I am also proud that you said everything you said so calmly and without resorting to abuse of any kind. Thank you for that kindness. Now, only if logic were on your side 🙂

      1. Pulak Chakraborty“Bharat means Military Establishment to the youth of Kashmir”….. It may be true. My dear friend before saying so go to the refugee colony of the Kashmiri Pandits and ask them what they think about the today’s Kashmiris…. Don’t simplify or oversimplify a problem which is not so  Some haram-khor, so called Indians do not know sufferings of Kashmiri pundits and victims of partition. Even Congress dogs and corrupt Nehru khandan does not feel the pains of those victims, because they havesold their conscious, and character for petty personal gains. THAT IS WHY “ITALIAN” SONIA, CALLSHER SELF, PATRIOT HINDUSTANI. ” KAUWA CHALLA HANSS KI CHAAL ” !!ALL THOSE TRAITORS OF HINDUSTAN, MUST BE TORN, AND FED TO FISH OF INDIAN OCEAN, LIKETERRORIST OSAMA WAS TREATED BY AMERICA. NA KABHI JANAZA UTH-TAA, NA KHIN MAZAAR HOTA. ( Galib )Tr.     

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