The university is among the most prestigious of educational institutes in the country, and a gang was able to, or allowed to, go on rampage, before the police could act. It is plain and simple that our students are not safe on campus. The news of the attack at JNU is still sinking in, and strangely the Delhi police claim that this was a ‘scuffle’ as there were ‘some issues between students’.
When the intruders were masked and armed, the police version of a scuffle between students is implausible. It leads to several questions, the first among them being: Are citizens safe any longer? When masked goons enter a centre of learning with the intention of destroying it and attacking its students and teachers, we can no longer call ourselves a civilised society. When the police remain mere spectators to the attack, we can no longer depend on the State machinery for protection. When 24 hours later the law enforcement is struggling to identify the perpetrators of the crime – a few have been identified but no arrests made – we can no longer depend on an uncompromised investigation. And, that is why we ask again, are the citizens safe?
The other question is whether it is at all conceivable that the police will conduct an impartial and independent investigation in this case? A case has been registered, but the conflicting versions do not lend confidence that we will ever get to know all the details of this attack. This appears highly unlikely as the force, by their statements, seems to be compromised. Why else would it make a statement of a scuffle between opposing groups of students? Haven’t the police watched the video footage that has been circulating on social media? Haven’t the police watched the CCTV recording that will give them an idea of what occurred on the JNU campus that Sunday night of horror? It is clear from these that persons who had no link to the university entered the campus and caused mayhem. That is what the police should be investigating, rather than finding excuses for the fracas.
The attack at JNU has to be condemned in the strongest possible manner and by all, no matter what the ideology of the person. There have been protest marches and meetings across the country, including in Goa. University students in various parts of the country have come out in support of the JNU students. But politics has come in the way, as students affiliated to certain parties stayed away. This attack is an assault on democracy, and party affiliations should not play a role when it comes to protests. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) that is affiliated to the Congress was present at the protest at Panjim’s Azad Maidan. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), that is the student wing of the BJP, was not. How do the students of India plan to be united to fight for democracy, if they are divided by party affiliations?
Investigations in the attack have to be expedited. The perpetrators have to be brought to book. The students of JNU, and of every educational institute in India, have to be assured that they are safe in their campus. The citizens of this country have to be guaranteed that their safety will not be compromised. All this can happen if the police determinedly carry out their task without any fear or favour.
