Threats ‘shameful’, proud of Gurmehar: LSR

New Delhi: The English Department of Lady Shri Ram College, where Kargil martyr Mandeep Singh’s daughter Gurmehar Kaur is a first year student of English Honours, has unanimously issued the following statement today.

We, the faculty members of the English Department, Lady Shri Ram College unequivocally and strongly support our student Gurmehar Kaur and her right to express her opinion on issues that embroil our university. It is immensely gratifying to us as her teachers that she has responded sensitively, creatively and bravely to events in her immediate context rather than seek the safe refuge of silence. We feel that it is the bounden duty of educational institutions to nurture sensitive, responsive and critical thinking students without the fear of violent retaliation. We are proud that Gurmehar has fulfilled her duty as a young citizen of this country. The threats of violence and brutality that she faces are absolutely reprehensible. Responses on social media by public figures such as Virender Sehwag and Randeep Hooda are shameful trivialization of the intimidation that Gurmehar faces at the hands of violent mobs whose viciousness the university has recently witnessed. We fervently appeal to the good sense of the public and to institutions of redressal to help restore our faith in law and justice in our country and let our young citizens think and articulate without fear of intimidation.

Rita Joshi, Madhu Grover, Rukshana Shroff, ArtiMinocha, Maya Joshi, ShernazCama, Mitali Mishra, Arunima Ray, DiptiNath, Maitreyee Mandal, JanetLalawmpuii, Ngangom Maheshkanta Singh, Karuna Rajeev, Wafa Hamid, Jonathan Varghese, TaniyaSachdeva, Rachita Mittal.

Kaur has received rape threats from ABVP members and other individuals on social media after she changed her profile picture on Facebook, which said, 'I am not afraid of ABVP'. She subsequently complained to the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), which provided security to her.

Kaur on Tuesday also withdrew from the 'Save DU' campaign, and the march by left-wing students which is supposed to be held from Khalsa College today.