Arrest Of JNUSU President On Charges Of Sedition Highly Condemnable

By National Alliance of People’s Movements

13 February, 2016
Countercurrents.org

New Delhi, February 13 : Delhi Police and its high handedness has once again come to the scrutiny and makes us question if it is acting as a political tool rather than being the enforcer of the law and order situation in the State. The swift move to arrest Kanhaiya Kumar, President JNUSU on charges of Sedition, is highly condemnable. A witch hunt is going on at Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) campus and everyone is seen as a suspect at this moment. This must stop immediately.

The facts of the incidents on February 9th are not yet clear but on the trumped charges, media hyperbole and complete polarization of views have created a situation where, one of the top most University of the country is being targeted and maligned. The political dissent of the students with the ruling establishment as evident on several occasions now, #OccupyUGC, #RhoithVemula Suicide and others is being used to criminalise them and term the whole campus as a den of Pakistani sympathisers, terrorists and Naxalites. This is completely malicious and fictitious and will only vitiate the atmosphere.

We need to remember that there is simmering tension and anger across the university campuses across the country, thousands are marching everyday in different campuses bringing to fore the wrongs within the higher education system and the discriminations which prevail there. However, rather than addressing any such issues, be it appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the FTII Chairperson, curtailing of non-NET fellowships, suicides of Dalit and other students, increased interventions from the communal forces in teaching, syllabus or administration etc. NDA government and HRD Minister has only unleashed state terror on them.

The current actions by the government at JNU can’t be seen in isolation and needs to be seen as part of the larger conspiracy to divert attention and seek political dividends in forthcoming elections and criminalise any political dissent or questioning of the government in the country today.

In the specific incidents of the shouting of the anti national slogans, let there be an independent and impartial enquiry conducted but it doesn’t behove of a democracy that we unleash police on campus and start a witch hunt in the heart of the capital and criminalise the whole University.

Its time government took measures to instill confidence in the rule of law and not engage in political vendetta for narrow political gains. NAPM demands immediate release of the JNUSU President, Kanhaiya Kumar and let an impartial enquiry be conducted by the University and bring the facts to the light and public domain. Delhi Police must vacate the campus immediately and stop the witch hunt and withdraw the FIR against unnamed persons. We also urge some of the news channels engaged in complete hyperbole to behave responsibly and not engage in spreading misinformation and further vitiate the atmosphere.

Medha Patkar - Narmada Bachao Andolan and the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM); Prafulla Samantara - Lok Shakti Abhiyan & Lingraj Azad – Samajwadi Jan Parishad - Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, NAPM, Odisha; Dr. Sunilam, Aradhna Bhargava - Kisan Sangharsh Samiti & Meera – Narmada Bachao Andolan, NAPM, MP; Suniti SR, Suhas Kolhekar, Prasad Bagwe - NAPM, Maharashtra; Gabriele Dietrich, Geetha Ramakrishnan – Unorganised Sector Workers Federation, NAPM, TN; C R Neelkandan – NAPM Kerala; P Chennaiah & Ramakrishnam Raju – NAPM Andhra Pradesh, Arundhati Dhuru, Richa Singh, Nandlal Master - NAPM, UP; Sister Celia - Domestic Workers Union & Rukmini V P, Garment Labour Union, NAPM, Karnataka; Vimal Bhai - Matu Jan sangathan & Jabar Singh, NAPM, Uttarakhand; Anand Mazgaonkar, Krishnakant - Paryavaran Suraksh Samiti, NAPM Gujarat; Kamayani Swami, Ashish Ranjan – Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan & Mahendra Yadav – Kosi Navnirman Manch, NAPM Bihar; Faisal Khan, Khudai Khidmatgar, J S Walia, NAPM Haryana; Kailash Meena, NAPM Rajasthan; Amitava Mitra & Sujato Bhadra, NAPM West Bengal; Bhupender Singh Rawat – Jan Sangharsh Vahini & Rajendra Ravi, Madhuresh Kumar and Shabnam Shaikh – NAPM, Delhi

For details contact : 9818905316 | email : [email protected]