Valuing The Spirit Of Dissent In Academic Spaces

By Students, Faculty And staff At National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore

19 January, 2016
Countercurrents.org

The suspension of five Dalit students and the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a 2nd year PhD student have once again shaken up our perspective on democratic dissent in educational spaces. The undersigned students, faculty and staff at National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore strongly condemn the actions of the administration and authorities at University of Hyderabad that led to the unfortunate chain of events.

Rohith was one of the activists who was engaged in an ongoing protest for 12 days against the insensitive treatment by the administration and university authorities. These students were expelled from their hostels and were denied entry into classrooms, library, and public places in the University, and barred from contesting in future student elections. As a response, they had initiated a hunger strike, continuing their protest and sit-in demonstrations in the open campus, against the atrocities by the administration. As has been pointed out by many, the ways in which students have been treated reflects the entrenched casteism of our centers of higher learning. Rohit's death is preceded by several suicides by Dalit scholars over the past decade. These suicides have to be understood in the context of systemic structural exclusions and discrimination within our universities.

Rohith aspired to be a science writer. In his last letter, he writes of his birth as a ''fatal accident''. It is unfortunate that our educational spaces can kill marginalised students, and their dreams. The administration continued its callous attitude on the day after the tragic suicide, by lathi-charging students who had refused to move unless action was taken against those responsible for driving Rohith to take this step.

We strongly feel that student’s protests and dissent should not be handled or suppressed in such a high handed manner. The University administration and concerned authorities responsible for the social boycott and exclusion of the students which eventually led to the suicide should be held accountable for their actions. It is unconscionable that the University administration feel compelled to hand out such retrograde and arbitrary punishments, especially under political pressure and charges of ‘anti-national’ activities. Universities are spaces which students inhabit everyday and denying a possibility of dialogue with students can break the moral fabric of individuals. Suspension and expulsion, are not solutions or means to end discussions with the student body and these actions cannot be responses that the university administration and authorities offer for student protests on campus. It does not reflect the democratic attitude of an educational Institution.

We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the incident at University of Hyderabad and demand the immediate revocation of the suspension order against the other students involved in the protest and a fair enquiry into the events leading up to the death of Rohith Vemula.

This statement is in solidarity with the students and the larger public who are demanding justice and seeking spaces where dissent and protest are not treated as crimes.

Signatures:

Nimisha Agarwal
Rolla Das
Sumitra Sunder
Venkata Rayudu
Savitha Suresh Babu
Anupama Mahajan
Kishor Bhat (Alumni)
Shreejata Gupta
Shivali Tukdeo
Indira Vijaysimha (Alumnae)
Carol Upadhya
Priya Gupta
Rashmi M.
Chetan Singai
Krupa Rajangam
Jafar. K (Alumni)
Soundarya Iyer
Shoibal Chakravarty
Sanam Roohi
Shatarupa Bhattacharyya
Priyam Laxmi Borgohain
Kaveri Ashok
Mrunalini Deshpande
Riffath Khaji
Sruthi Raman
Sharada Srinivasan
Subir Rana
Asmita Sengupta
M. Mayilvaganan
Sahana U. (alumna)
Gagan Deep Kaur