PTI
GUWAHATI, FEBRUARY 16
Academicians across Assam today strongly opposed the Centre’s handling of the JNU issue saying excessive use of state power in campuses is against basic constitutional rights and deeply undermines the very act of collective living.
Some also alleged that the BJP-led government wants to push back progressive and democratic voices.
“I think this is an excessive use of state power in such a way as to imperil some of our basic constitutional rights. The fact that many members of the faculty have come out in a demonstration of solidarity with the protesting students confirms that it is not a mere case of youthful adventurism,” eminent scholar-educationist Hiren Gohain told PTI.
The entire issue also brings to focus the issue of freedom of speech and thought, apart from the autonomy of the university, he added.
“I think the government should retreat from its position gracefully and the ABVP should also concede the right of dissent,” said Gohain, a retired Gauhati University professor.
Renowned poet and Tezpur University retired Pro-Vice Chancellor Amarjyoti Choudhury said the idea of nation as a way of collective living should never be compromised and at the same time political opportunism at the campus vitiates the process of knowledge sharing.
“Further the bizarre act of assault on students and teachers in broad daylight also deeply undermines the very act of collective living. I believe these are digressions from reason and objective way of living,” he said.
Choudhury, also a former VC of Gauhati University, hoped that “sanity and congeniality” returns to the campus so the process of nation building in continues.
Gauhati University Professor Emeritus Khanindra Chowdhury said the RSS and the BJP-led central government got a “needle hole to infiltrate” into the issue of JNU as they want to push back the progressive and democratic voices.
“What is RSS and BJP’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle? They never took part in it. What is the national work they have done so far? They are just taking mileage of the incident, which would have die down slowly,” he added.
Leading theatre personality and former Principal of the premier Cotton College Sitanath Lahkar said that the police crackdown in JNU is completely disproportionate to the anti- India sloganeering in the campus and is a blatant testimony of the Modi government’s attempt to “send democracy to the gallows”.
“It is to be noted that democracy becomes stronger when it allows space to dissent and the world will laugh at us if my country lacks tolerance to opposition,” Lahkar said in a Facebook post.
Lahkar, also a filmmaker, further said that the recent incidents have led to forging hitherto not seen unity among the opposition, which is a bright sign for the country.
Assam University Professor Debasish Bhattacharya said the entire development is very deplorable and the police action was a detrimental step in the democratic process of India.
“Anyone can have an opinion on Kashmir and what is the problem in having a discussion on that? If there is anything wrong happening, the university has its own mechanism. The government should have faith on this and should not have interfered. It is a fascist approach,” he added.
Jawaharlal Nehru College Assistant Professor Pallavi Deka termed the entire development as a result of mishandling and use of disproportionate arm forces by the government.
“It seems that JNU has been raising some uncomfortable questions against anti-people policies of any government, so BJP is trying to settle some scores with them. If there is any evidence against anyone of doing any anti-national activities inside the campus, then action should be taken, but arrest of the JNU students union president is a misuse of the sedition law,” said Deka, an alumnus of JNU.
Assam University Controller of Examination Suprabir Dutta Roy condemned the attack on teachers, students and media persons yesterday in the national capital by BJP MLA O P Sharma and lawyers.
“Attack on teachers cannot be acceptable. Taking law into own hands is not at all acceptable,” he said.
