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Mumbai Meeting For Justice For Rohith Vemula Draws Large Crowd, Raises Important Questions

By Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, Mumbai

03 April, 2016
Countercurrents.org

On 2nd April, the Mumbai Joint Action Committee for Social Justice organised Convention of People’s Resistance with the theme ‘Rohith Vemula’s Murder and Questions Thereafter: through People’s Resistance towards Azaadi’. The programme was enthusiastically attended by around two thousand people including students, professors, intellectuals, artists, activists and others and addressed by students from different universities all across the country and writers and activists like Arundhati Roy,Prakash Ambedkar,S.Q.R Iliyas (Umar Khalid’s father),Teesta Setalvad and Soni Sori (through video message).

The first session began with songs of resistance from Yelgar Sanskriti Manch, Mumbai followed by students from various universities sharing their experience of state repression and student’s resistance. Yerammadasu Udayakumar from BAPSA (Birsa Ambedkar Periyar Student’s Association), JNU, emphasized the importance of a united fight against Brahmanism without being appropriated by parties like Congress and AAP. Ramesh from Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, IIT Madras , spoke about the IIT administration’s continuous attempts to depoliticize the campus where students were even asked to sign bonds agreeing not to engage in any political activities. Pratik Vats, an ex- student of FTII spoke briefly about the FTII struggle. Pointing out the magnitude of the repression by the FTII administration, he mentioned how the people appearing in court today are one fourth of the two hundred students of the institute.

Anoop from Bhagat Singh Chattra Morcha, BHU highlighted the feudal-Brahmanical character of BHU and the open allegiance of the University Administrators including the VC to the Sangh Parivar. He spoke of the need for students to support and engage with the struggles of peasants and of the urban working class in order to build a broad alliance against the fascist forces in the country. Message from Kashmir University Students was read out. In their statement, the KU students clearly stated that their call for Azaadi means freedom from India and not freedom in India. They illustrated the inhuman aspects of the Indian occupation of Kashmir, and demanded self-determination as promised by Jawaharlal Nehru. The statement of the Manipur Students Association, Delhi, was read out by Kulajit. The MSAD criticized the attempts of some students and the parliamentary left to paint themselves as nationalists and uphold the Indian ruling classes’ oppressive notion of nationalism. They explained how Nehru’s attitude towards Manipur and other Northeastern states had been imperialistic right from the beginning, and how these states were actually an independent nation that was annexed forcefully by India in 1949. They cited the frightening number of “disappearances’’ of common Manipuri people who are actually killed by the Indian Army empowered by the AFSPA.

This was followed by a performance by Jana Sanskriti Manch and Rossi D’Souza, who sang the ‘anti-national anthem’. The second session started with a performance by Kabir Kala Manch and the Republican Panthers who boldly chanted slogans upholding Rohith Vemula, and the ideals of Dr. Ambedkar, and followed by few enchanting songs based on liberation from caste and class oppression. After this,S.Q.R Iliyas, Umar Khalid’s father, spoke about how media has sensationalised the entire issue of JNU. He had pointed out that while the media is deviating from what should be made an issue they are focussing on making a ‘non-issues’, an issue. He stressed on the need for the working masses to come together in this fight against fascist, brahmanical forces. Teesta Setalvad spoke about the need to build up alliances between various movements, let it be feminist movements, LGBT movements or anti-caste movements. This was followed by extremely vigorous songs by cultural group Republican Panthers.

The next speaker was Arundhati Roy. She provided a brief yet deep analysis of the present situation in India. She stated the fact that that the RSS had been modelled after the classical fascist organization of Benitto Mussolini, and throughout several decades it has worked carefully to build its base of ideologically brainwashed, motivated followers who are unable to think for themselves. She stressed on the fact that despite being favoured by the ruling classes and backed by corporations, what these fascists fear is a united front of Dalits, Muslims, OBC, the left and other progressive elements, which is being built now, and which is why they are unleashing such a fierce attack on the common people.

In the meantime, Dontha Prasad from HCU had arrived despite the many hurdles placed by the state in his way. He delivered a fiery speech where he challenged caste-hindus and said that if they don't step up to annihilate caste, the time ahead would be difficult for them. He also stated that, if those from upper caste really believe in ending caste they should work along with dalits and participate in their struggle against oppression. He had also bravely announced that, the struggle of HCU students would not end unless Apparao gets punished. ‘Rohith did not teach us the lessons of death, but he taught us the lessons of humanity’ he added.

Concluding and summing up the convention, Adv. Prakash Ambedkar said that " This is an ideological battle which we cannot fight and win by going on their field and hence we need to bring them on our field."

Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, Mumbai




 



 

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