Besieged campuses

Universities are spaces for critical thinking and free expression where we are free to differ from others’ ideas and express our own with dignity. But today we witness anger and tension among students from different universities in India. They are protesting vehemently against the curtailment of non-Net fellowship, the institutional murder of Rohit Vemula, appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman, intervention in syllabus and administration, and the current police action against students in Jawaharlal Nehru University, all of which seem to be part of a well-worked-out political agenda to occupy universities. One wonders if it is a ploy to divert the attention of ordinary citizens from the government’s failure to deliver on poll promises. The government of India should instead instil confidence in the rule of law. It’s time we ensure complete protection of our university campuses from political violence.

Varsha Sharma Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi