Police action on students campaigning for poll boycott 'assault on dissent'

Counterview Desk
The civil rights network* Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), has said that the police action against members of the Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (bsCEM) in Delhi University (DU) campus for putting up wall paintings asking people to boycott elections is an assault on democratic right of citizens to express their view.

CASR said, "The ABVP also put up posters and wallpapers across the DU campus space. These wall paintings and posters stuck by the ABVP contain slogans that are outrightly Islamophobic." Noting that no action was taken against ABVP, it wondered, why this double standard.

Text:
Students from Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (bsCEM) did their wall-painting campaign on 24th of May. They have propagated the idea of election boycott through these wall paintings. The Delhi University (DU) administration joined together with ABVP, the student organization of RSS, to lodge a complaint against these students.

The police lodged an FIR on these students under the defacement act. Baadal, the President of bsCEM, and Uthara, another member of bsCEM, was taken away by the police while their exams were going on. The police picked them up from Delhi school of journalism, the college were these two students are pursuing their education in.

Later, Dev and Gourav, two other students affiliated with bsCEM, were also picked up by the police. These students were abducted by policemen in plain clothes and were kept in the police station in the name of questioning for six to seven hours.

Later, they were released by the police forces, but only after student organizations assembled outside the police station for the release of these individuals. They were also asked to arrive at the police station, on a later date, for ‘further questioning’.
The right to boycott elections is a democratic right of each citizen of the country, just like how each citizen of the country has a democratic right to vote. Residence Welfare Associations in Noida, sector 46 and sector 75, and sector 2 of Greater Noida have decided to boycott elections until their registries are done.

This call for an election boycott has happened in a situation where 58% of the country has expressed their distrust in the election process and the EVM machines according to a recent survey. The attack by the ABVP and right wing forces on bsCEM for propagating election boycott is therefore, an attack on the democratic rights of these students, and an attack on their freedom of expression.

The DU administration and the police officials have also taken part in this repression of their democratic rights. The ABVP has also put up posters and wallpapers across the DU campus space. These wall paintings and posters stuck by the ABVP contain slogans that are outrightly Islamophobic. Other student organizations have also done postering and wall-painting in the walls of DU.

The Islamophobic slogans of ABVP, put up on DU walls, which can incite riots, did not face any action

Although this has been the case, the DU administration filed a complaint, and the police lodged the FIR only on these students who campaigned for election boycott. Therefore, it's clear that it's a targeted attack on these students for propagating a particular stance. The Islamophobic slogans of ABVP, which can incite riots, did not face any action.

The steps taken by the police also reflect this attack on dissent. For charges that lead to a fine of about Rs 500, these students were abducted by the state forces and kept in police custody for 6-7 hours in the name of questioning. Two of these students were in the midst of their exams when they were abducted by the state forces.

These disproportionate steps taken in the name of investigation are for intimidation of the students. They have been asked to come back on a later date, and this clearly shows that the police want to further intimidate students. The police, the university and ABVP are playing the role of a seamless machine, which efficiently oppresses the students.

This is happening in a time when the state is using tools like the administrations of the universities and the police force to crush dissent within the campus space, and to ensure the complete saffronisation of the education sector under policies such as the New Education Policy. The police are serving the interests of the fascist state, and curbing the right to democratically dissent and the right to freedom of speech that these students have.

CASR strongly condemns this attack on the democratic right of the students and demands the revoking of this FIR on bsCEM and an end to this intimidatory tactics of the police in the name of Investigation.
---
*AIRSO,AISA, AISF, APCR, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, , DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity ,IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA,Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, , NAPM, , Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad,Smajwadi lok manch, Bahujan Samjavadi Mnach, SFI, United Against Hate, United Peace Alliance, WSS,Y4S

Comments

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani* India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor* Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas* November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor* Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.

Search This Blog