Ramjas probe committee requests witnesses to speak out
In an emergency meeting, Ramjas College formed a committee to probe the recent violence in the campus. The committee has asked students and teachers of all colleges to present evidence (photos, videos etc) and volunteer as witnesses. Meanwhile, DUSU president and ABVP member Amit Tanwar demanded action against the organizers of the controversial seminar, whereas Ramjas reiterated its support for those faculty members.
Delhi University's Ramjas College had organized a two-day seminar on 'Cultures of Protest'. Among others, Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid of Jawahar Lal Nehru University had been invited to speak. Khalid is member of an Ambedkarite student group and Shehla is part of Leftist student group All India Students Association. However, right-wing student group, ABVP protested against their presence and their lectures were cancelled.
For a significant part of last year, Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid were in the headlines for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans at a controversial Afzal Guru event at JNU. Khalid had also been arrested in this regard.
ABVP had reportedly thrown stones at conference room windows where the seminar was being held. The subsequent cancellation of the 'Cultures of Protest' seminar did not go down well with students of Ramjas College. Earlier today, a protest march was carried out by Ramjas students against cancellation of the seminar. However, during the march, clashes broke out when students were stopped by ABVP members.
Nearly 20 students were injured during college protest that broke out at Delhi University's Ramjas college earlier today. The students were protesting the cancellation of a literary seminar which was disrupted by right-wing group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad yesterday. Few journalists who were covering the student protests were also injured in the violence that broke out between the ABVP and protesting students.
"No, I did not raise any such slogans (Bastar mange aazadi , Kashmir mange aazadi"). Slogans like gundagardi (hooliganism) se aazadi, bhukhmari (starvation) se aazadi, garibi (freedom) se aazadi are not anti-India," said Ramjas College Associate Professor Mukul Mangalik on allegations of raising 'anti-India' slogans.
LSR student Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, has allegedly received rape threats after her social media campaign against the ABVP went viral. Kaur had put up a profile picture holding a placard that read, "I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP".
ABVP will launch a protest today seeking a nationwide campus ban on Left-affiliated organizations. The 'Save DU' march will begin from the Arts Faculty and pass through Vishwavidyalaya metro station, Miranda College, SRCC, Ramjas, and Law Faculty. "DU has been peaceful because ABVP has dominated the campus," said Saket Bahuguna, ABVP national media convener. Police have been deployed in large numbers.
On the continuing debate on freedom of expression sparked by violent conflict in Delhi University's Ramjas College, President Pranab Mukherjee said that space for legitimate criticism and dissent should be allowed. While addressing the 6th KS Rajamony Memorial Lecture on the topic "India@70", the President admonished the current culture of unrest and said there should be no room in India for intolerant Indians.
Students of Delhi University took out a protest march from Mandi House to Parliament Street, against alleged hooliganism by ABVP members. The protests were led by the Left Wing student organization AISA and SFI and were aimed at asserting their academic freedom and right to dissent. Meanwhile, the ABVP also took out a "Save DU" march at North Campus.
