IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, Feb 28: The Lady Shri Ram College, where Kargil martyr’s daughter Gurmehar Kaur is an under-graduate student, has come out in her support over her stand against ABVP.
“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,” said the department in a statement. Gurmehar is a first year student of English Honours at the college.
Gurmehar, through a facebook post on 22nd Feb, had condemned violence and vandalism carried out allegedly by some members of ABVP, a youth wing linked to the ruling BJP, at the Ramjas College. ABVP members had vandalized a seminar where among others JNU research scholar Umar Khalid was invited as a speaker, beaten up students, teachers and also some media persons.
“The brutal attack on innocent students by ABVP is very disturbing and should be stopped. It was not an attack on protestors, but an attack on every notion of democracy that is held dear in ever Indian’s heart. It is an attack on ideals, morals, freedom and rights of every person born to this nation. The stones that you pelt hit our bodies, but fail to bruise our ideas. This profile picture is my way of protesting against the tyranny of fear. If you are a student in any Indian university, in any Indian state and you wish to protest against ABVP then take a similar selfie and make it your profile picture. Use the hashtag #StudentsAgainstABVP and copy paste this message along with it. It’s time for every student of India to unite! Jai Hind! Jai Democracy!”, Gurmehar had written on facebook.
Within days, the post went viral with thousands of likes, shares and comments. Besides supports, she also got harsh criticism from supporters of ABVP. Many of them used filthy language for her and even one threatened her of rape.
Now her college has also come out in her support.
“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,” said teachers.
“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 VirendraSehwag and RandeepHooda 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,” read the statement signed by over a dozen teachers including 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.
