Ramjas ABVP clash: Why they stopped Umar Khalid from speaking

February 22, 2017. The invisible strings of political leanings took to painting a rather dark and shameful picture on the streets outside Delhi University's Ramjas College. From a demand to withdraw JNU student Umar Khalid's name from a lecture, to a regressive clash among two of the most active student union groups - AISA and ABVP - displayed the ugly reality of how politics and polarisation has trickled down to educational institutions.

The recent increasing curbs on freedom of speech are out of a heightened sense of insecurity among the ruling establishment. This insecurity by the state has led to denial of basic fundamental human rights in general and led to further polarisation of an already marginalised community.

It sadly only adds to the rising agreement with the world order and resistance to what we call Islamophobhia.

Islamophobhia, as the world order today perceives and struggles to contain, is unfortunately not the raging concern. The concern has somewhere been disillusioned behind the apparent and accepted idea of protecting what I call "pseudo secularism" and global human rights by an authoritative and deliberate polarisation of the Muslim community across the globe. What needs to be contained is fanaticism.

What needs to be acknowledged is the rise of global right-wing extremism, irrespective of it being Islamic or Hindu. It has to be the coming together of logical minds against the rise of a violent sect of every religious group that has, clearly, either not read or haven't understood their scripture!

Ever since students broke the myth of education making a rationale mind by clashing in a violent manner over Khalid's lecture, many debates have sparked over free speech in a democracy. Honestly, I think people have lost their minds in mass numbers.

My argument rests on a few points:

1) Are a handful of students so capable that their slogans, which were heard by the public a year ago, that strong and influential that the idea of NATIONALISM gets threatened? Or is it the very idea of nationhood that is fragile?

2) If it's about Kashmir, have all the uniformed men over the years merely been idly passing their time on the most dynamic and volatile border dispute, that a few slogans can instigate or accomplish secession? Can our soldiers' stand upfront, complex, serious and revered, be challenged by a bunch of university students?

3) Our schools are too formative and offices run under rules and protocols... where then do minds speak? Develop? Have a dialogue? If not universities where do we encourage debate?

4) The lecture at Ramjas College and Khalid's PhD dissertation were somewhat related. Like any other research scholar who goes and presents his paper, puts forth his observations, Khalid too had that right.

5) NATIONALISM doesn't mean the superiority of your nation over everything else. Questioning authority is not wrong. Demeaning the nation would however be wrong. But did Khalid and his colleague demean India?

NO!! They did not. He just put forth a point. That like any other issue has been blown out of proportion.

Indian history has time and again always seen two extreme opinions existing in its political climate. But never had it been so apparent, state-backed and violent. But times have changed. The idea of a tolerant intelligentsia forming the opposition has now been replaced by noisy and sectoral interest generators.

The idea behind stopping Khalid is largely because he's Muslim. Clashes did not happen when Kanhaiya Kumar spoke at places. On the contrary, Kanhaiya was treated as a hero when he addressed the youth from Gandhi Maidan in Patna, with the state police deputed to maintain security and restore order.

And that is where NATIONALISM is truly threatened. If at all it's about the Muslim community, please take note - stop Asaduddin Owaisi if you can. Not Khalid or Rehman or Ahmed. Stop people who propagate fear and hatred.

Academic institutions in the country should not become a ready lab to test and deliver the impact of the force of various state apparatus. Have just as impactful naare baazi, but please do not suppress voices. For the injured lion will only be more adamant to kill.

I do not propose to favour any religion or political leaning. I am just an Indian research student expressing concern.

Also read: Why the Indian democracy is under threat