By D V Kumar
The events which happened on the 9th of Feb on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus were the proverbial last straw that a certain political class was looking for to unleash a reign of terror on a University which proved a thorn in its backyard. The students and teachers of JNU always provided a stringent ideological critique against a monolithic idea of India (one religion, one culture and one nation) which is sought to be spread by this political class. It had to happen to JNU one day. But the only problem is that, this time, there has been clearly an error of judgement on the part of those trying to muzzle the voice of dissent on the campus. They picked up Kanhaiya Kumar (President JNUSU) , who was present in the gathering but was nowhere seen indulging in ‘anti-national’ and pro-Pakistani slogans. He was seen merely trying to check the id cards of those present in the gathering. In fact one is not sure whether those few people who were seen making ‘distasteful’ slogans were students of JNU at all. I too have a fundamental problem with the language used in the slogans by whoever it may be. As I understand, this kind of language forecloses a debate. It does not encourage a debate. Using such a language on a university campus such as JNU is unthinkable because JNU, (as a former student of JNU, I can vouch for it), is the space where ideas are allowed to clash with one another. Critical and creative dialogue among the contending propositions is the essence of life at JNU. As far as Kanhaiya Kumar is concerned, clearly it is a case of witch-hunt by his ideological enemies. Arresting him on the charge of sedition was the ultimate mockery which the authorities inflicted on themselves. One only has to listen to what he had to say a couple of days earlier (maybe on the 6th or 7th of Feb) at a different location to a group of students on the campus. In that brilliant speech which has gone viral on you tube, he referred to the oppressive conditions in which Dalits, agricultural labourers, women are living in India. He emphasised the need to dismantle structures of exploitation to ensure better deal for them and stand up for them. In the same speech, he reaffirmed his fundamental commitment to the Indian Constitution. The charge of sedition on him is something which shocked the entire world. That perhaps explains the condemnation that has come from leading scholars across the world. Scholars from Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, IITs etc. have raised their powerful voice against what they consider the totally unwarranted arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar. Noam Chomsky, the leading thinker in the world who condemned the arrest, should know a thing or two about the importance of dissent. He himself has fought against the hegemonic designs of the American establishment. The fundamental point which all of these scholars make is that democratic spaces should not be allowed to shrink and that is precisely the danger which can follow from the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar.
What could have been an excellent occasion to engage the students in a debate about the very nature and ideology of nationalism has unfortunately been converted into an occasion where students and in fact the entire university are being subjected to harassment and physical threats. The idea of nation which had its roots in Europe where it was supposed to have an unproblematical hold because of a homogenous cultural universe (one language and one culture, French, for example) had to contend with , over a period of time, a number of issues. It began to be challenged there itself. When it travelled to countries like India, it faced new challenges and issues. The diversity in terms of languages, religions, cultures, tribes posed a serious challenge to the very idea of nation. What is nation and whose nation are the questions that are being encountered. These are the questions that should legitimately form the basis of a critical and creative dialogue.
Be that as it may, castigating an entire university as anti-national is beyond one’s reasoned comprehension. JNU would be the last university which can think and talk in terms of destroying India where it is located and to which it has contributed outstanding scholars, Parliamentarians, civil servants, social activists. Under the garb of nationalism the kind of frenzy that is sought to be created by some people against JNU and its students is totally unacceptable. Kanhaiya Kumar is not even being allowed proper access to justice. He has been attacked on court premises in Delhi despite Supreme Court’s orders to ensure peaceful and orderly court proceedings. Even Kasab, who killed many people in Mumbai, did not have to face such a problem in courts. Kanhaiya Kumar whose involvement in objectionable slogans has not been established is being denied proper access to courts. This can only be explained in terms of a deep-rooted prejudice against one of the most prestigious universities in the country for consistently raising its voice against a hegemonic and homogenising ideological framework.
(D.V. Kumar teaches Sociology, Dept of Sociology, NEHU, Shillong)