Lawyers' open letter on JNU row: You cannot stifle dissent with violence

We, the undersigned, as current students, alumni and professors of law universities, stand in strong opposition to the recent events which have unfolded at JNU, especially those involving the arrest of the JNUSU president, among other disproportionate measures. We strongly disapprove of the free reign given to the police to question, detain and arrest any student or faculty member for voicing their opinions.

We believe that university spaces are forums to discuss, question and debate fundamental political issues from different perspectives. University campuses are, and should be, spaces where people can peacefully voice their opinions, raise questions and disagree with each other on issues which concern us all as a part of the polity. The only way to uphold the ethics and values of safe spaces on university campuses, is to counter through dialogue and debate, not state backed violence.

What a university campus cannot be is a site for stifling dissent and opinions with the threat of violence and a state backed misuse of the Indian Penal Code especially that of provisions such as sedition which were earlier used against many of our freedom fighters, those we eulogise as defenders of our "national" identity.

We are concerned about the recent spate of incidents (including those that led to Rohith Vemula's death at the University of Hyderabad) wherein students affiliated to certain political organisations, have repeatedly violated the safe spaces of universities, targeting those who voice opinions and stake claims that do not find favour with the ruling dispensation. We strongly urge that such actions be denounced and we are once again allowed to reclaim university spaces where counter-narratives that challenge the mainstream are respected, dialogue is nurtured and future leaders are born.

As law people, we also strongly condemn the action of certain lawyers who manhandled the students and faculty members of JNU present at the Patiala House Court premises on February 15, 2016. We regret to see that the very courts of justice, to whom people look up to for upholding the rights of the ordinary citizen and acting as a fair arbitrator, have become battlegrounds for participants of the legal system to violently express their bias and prejudices.

We demand that the JNU campus be restored to normalcy and the police be withdrawn from all parts of the campus. We demand that the JNUSU president, Kanhaiya Kumar be released immediately and all charges be dropped against him.

(This open letter first appeared on Kafila.org)