Skip to main content

Naive to assume Modi wasn't aware of Banaras students' protest when he was in town, or ruthless lathi-charge after he left

Counterview Desk
About 50 prominent activists attached with the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) have condemned “state repression” on Banaras Hindu University (BHU) women students, who were demanding a sexual-violence free campus, demanding criminal action against BHU’s vice chancellor for his omissions and commissions in the entire episode. Text of the statement:
The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) condemns the Uttar Pradesh government’s violent, cowardly and indefensible crack down on the young women-students led movement in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus, seeking a university space with equal rights for women and freedom from sexual harassment and violence. That the long standing and quite simple demands of the students were not being addressed and in fact survivors of sexual harassment were repeatedly being shamed by the male proctors, even as the identified perpetrators were being allowed to go Scot-free, compelled the students to embark on a peaceful mass protest, in the wake of relentless incidents of sexual harassment on the campus.

Instead of engaging in a dialogue with the agitating students and resolving their basic and genuine grievances, the university authorities led by the vice chancellor (VC), undoubtedly, at the behest of the State government chose to physically brutalize the students, late into the night and again on the next day, by unlawfully unleashing a rabid male police force on women students! We have also learnt from credible sources that the VC and proctors have allowed a group of ‘private security’ inside the campus, who were the first to unleash violence on the students, before the police struck!
While on the one hand, this government prides itself in slogans and schemes of ‘Beti Bachao’ Beti Padhao’; on the other it seeks to curtail the most fundamental freedoms of girls and women in multiple ways by moral policing, privatization, lack of basic amenities, safety and non-resolution of grievances. It is exactly this reality that the ‘brave betis’ of BHU tried to expose through their peaceful protest and demanded amongst other things, a campus where they could take for granted an atmosphere of safety and security from misogynistic oppression and violence and where there would be no arbitrary and discriminative restrictions on them owing to their gender. We salute the courageous struggle of the young women students and express our complete solidarity with them.
The incidents at BHU bring forth two very basic issues; one, the manner of appointments of the vice-chancellors and two, the lack of effective mechanisms for redressal of complaints, especially that of sexual harassment. As a practice, vice-chancellors must be competent, independent and persons of high integrity in academic and social life, committed to constitutional values. What we are instead witnessing is a clear trend of appointment of VCs, such as that of BHU, who are committed to a certain unconstitutional ideology and have charges of corruption and cases pending in the courts! The issue of appointments of VCs must needs to be seriously addressed.
We also completely endorse the demands of the young women students for effective mechanisms and systems in place (such as GSCASH) to seriously and empathetically address grievances / complaints, especially that of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination and violence, in line with the Vishakha Guidelines of the Supreme Court and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. These mechanisms must be formed with the active involvement of the women students, women faculty and well-known, credible and committed women civil society activists.
The BHU episode, after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Hyderabad Central University (HCU), is yet another stark reminder of the larger challenge of ‘saffronization’ of our Universities at the highest levels, where no less than the vice-chancellors, who are handpicked to serve the ideological and political agendas of the ruling dispensation impose some of the most arbitrary and draconian restrictions, especially on female and politically active students. Actions such as limiting library hours, early closure of college gates, curbs on late-evening usage of mobile phones by women students, embargo on serving of non-vegetarian food, coercing students to sign affidavits not to participate in political activity, all reek of the patriarchal and regressive mindset of the BHU VC, defeating the scientific and secular temper of our Constitution.
It would be naive to assume that the Prime Minister, in whose constituency the university is situated, was neither aware of the student’s protest when he was in town, nor of the ruthless lathi-charge which took place, soon after he left Banaras! His regular route was in fact changed, to avoid his interface with the protestors at BHU! We are appalled that the university authorities have not only failed in discharging their duties of ensuring a safe campus for the girl students and considering their complaints promptly and seriously; they have in fact been imposing illogical restrictions and playing a blame game of naming ‘outsiders’ and shaming insiders, instead of dealing sternly with those who violate the rights of girl students. They are also clearly responsible for letting the police inside the campus, facilitating the repression and registering en masse 1,000 FIRs on the students!
We strongly feel and demand that an FIR must be filed against Mr Girish Chandra Tripathi, the vice-chancellor of BHU, for all the omissions and commissions in this episode. Besides, Mr Tripathi, who is singularly responsible on behalf of the university to allow the situation to deteriorate must be removed with immediate effect, both on ethical and legal grounds!
We also think the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh owes a public apology to the hundreds of girls for the inaction and damage that has been caused, because of his government. FIRs against all students must be dropped unconditionally and instead FIRs must be filed against senior police and administrative officials for directing a lathi-charge on the students. Injured students must be compensated for the physical and mental trauma.
The university must immediately initiate a process of dialogue with the students and act upon their demands, ensuring their education within the campus in a safe and dignified manner. In particular, the university must immediately deploy female security personnel in sufficient strength and constitute GSCASH committees with the active involvement of the women students, women faculty and well-known, credible and committed women civil society activists.
Teesta Setalvad

We also condemn the 10 hrs arbitrary and unlawful detention of well-known journalist and human rights activist Teesta Setalvad, who was in Banaras on Monday to attend a pre-committed youth training event and categorically stated to the police that she had no plan to visit BHU. It is indeed reprehensible that the government chooses to detain and / or arrest anyone, in an unconstitutional manner, without any sufficient ground and in this case Teesta, since she rightly and lawfully refused to sign a bond undertaking that she would not enter the BHU campus. Her late night release with a warning to leave Banaras immediately and not enter BHU is also unlawful and condemnable. We think the political and legal impunity of the present government to indulge in such arbitrary actions, one after the other, in a relentless and remorseless manner, will cost it dearly.
---
Signatories include:
Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA)
Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)
Prafulla Samantara, Lok Shakti Abhiyan
Binayak Sen and Kavita Srivastava, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Others

Comments

TRENDING

How Hindutva and the Taliban mirror each other in power and ideology

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The recent visit of Taliban-appointed Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India and the warm reception extended to him by the Modi government have raised questions about India’s foreign policy direction. The decision appears to lend legitimacy to the Taliban regime, which continues to suppress democratic aspirations in Afghanistan. 

Justice for Zubeen Garg: Fans persist as investigations continue in India and Singapore

By Nava Thakuria*  Even a month after the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore under mysterious circumstances, thousands of his fans and admirers across eastern India continue their campaign for “ JusticeForZubeenGarg .” A large digital campaign has gained momentum, with over two million social media users from around the world demanding legal action against those allegedly responsible. Although the Assam government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has arrested seven people, and a judicial commission headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court to oversee the probe, public pressure for justice remains strong.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu.  He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Creative destruction? The myth of ‘better capitalism’ behind the 2025 Economics Nobel

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak *  The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel to Joel Mokyr , Philippe Aghion , and Peter Howitt “for having explained innovation-driven economic growth .” According to the Nobel announcement on October 13 , one half of the prize goes to Professor Joel Mokyr “for having identified the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress ,” while the other half is shared by Professors Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt “for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction .”