On Sunday, a mob of masked criminals entered the campus of Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and started beating students and teachers mercilessly. The chilling visuals that came out became a proof of how India’s conscience is repeatedly being tarnished because of some corrupted minds present in the society.
Sequence of Events
The mob entered the campus of JNU, ransacked hostels and grievously wounded students, professors and staff, going about it in methodical madness for several hours continuously. The policemen deployed outside the campus in large numbers did not detain even a single attacker and when asked why they were doing nothing to stop the attack, they simply said that they had not received permission from the government yet to interfere which also shows the double faced stance assumed by the police if we recall the events that happened at Jamia Milia Islamia. Furthermore, the street lights were turned off and the police personnel appeared to be giving cover for the mob that leisurely walked away with abusive slogans.
Who were behind the attacks?
The mob which without any shame and fear, continued exerting tortures on the campus people of JNU was identified to be constituted of members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student outfit of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The attack being launched by ABVP has really made a great section of the population, who were already involved in the Anti CAA protests, angrier.
Reaction & response
The government hasn’t really taken an action with respect to the violence committed by the mob apart from the statement issued by BJP’s official handle which also seems to be an act of formality. This incident has polarized the nation even further and now protests have started happening in other parts of the nation against this act. Celebrities such as Deepika Padukone have joined the ongoing protests which are getting stronger by the day. In Gujarat, the NSUI protested outside the ABVP office, but they were mercilessly stabbed by the ABVP goons.
What does this event highlight?
This event as well as a lot of past instances of violence that have happened because of religious and political extremism point towards the intolerance that is on the rise in our country. The concept of India being a secular nation is slowly getting faded away as the number of cases of violence because of religion are increasing over the years. It highlights the dogmatic stance that people hold with respect subjects such as religion, society and politics. The events that have taken place in India in the past few days have even been condemned by different nations and international bodies such as the United Nations.
The attack is not just an attack on the students of a university. It is an attack on the very essence of democracy. The Delhi police not doing anything to prevent and protect the students who were beaten, the Government taking a diplomatic stance on the issue, people protesting but getting attacked in response, all point to a single statement- that the true value of a democracy is being damaged in India.
Conclusion
This evil will outlive its perpetrators and facilitators; and the night will continue to haunt India’s conscience in the years to come. The Indian dream of becoming a perfect democracy and a society that treasures its institutions and people alike will become even more far-fetched.
The only way to undo the damage caused by such an event is that people unite and raise their voice as one. The government should take strong actions against the perpetrators to make people’s faith restored in the political institutions. We must remember the values that our constitution aims to protect and we should abide by those values no matter what. It is in these times of turmoil that our real strength as a nation is tested and we, as responsible citizens of India, should raise up our voice against those who are trying to bring damage to the nation in the name of some orthodox dogmatic views. The constituent assembly framed the constitution with a certain image of the nation in mind and now it is in our hands to make India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic in the truest sense again.
- Written By Purav Nayak
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