Kanhaiya's bail has brought us one step closer to Umar's release

Friends,

Many many congratulations to the academic community of the entire world who have supported our university's struggle against the might of the ruling party because they have seen in JNU's trials, the ever-mounting global threat to the business of reading, writing, thinking, and doing in a space insulated from governmentality and surveillance.

Universities were meant to be such places guaranteed by citizens to themselves, so that some people like us would have the liberty to think, untrammelled and unafraid, of the ways ahead for our communities, nations, and the whole world.

The world over, this conception of the university, is constantly under threat from neo-liberal surveillance regimes, so our battle is really everyone's battle.

Also read - When Umar, Anirban met Bassi's men and discussed Cicero

In getting Kanhaiya out on bail within 19 days of his arrest, there is no doubt a very big victory has been won today. Impossible without the efforts of Rebecca John, Vrinda Grover, Sushil Bajaj, Kapil Sibal, and their teams, plus Indira Jaising, Rajeev Dhawan, and many other senior lawyers, this amazing feat should make us feel very happy indeed.

I am absolutely over the moon myself, and I take great pride to be part of this amazing fighting community of teachers in JNU. If there is anything great that has come out of all this anxiety, it is the fact that the JNUTA will henceforth be listed as a great institution of JNU.

Also read - Why Kanhaiya Kumar is not a hero

However, things are far from over yet. Umar and Anirban remain in jail, the environment remains very hostile, and the JNU administration remains open to manipulation by the MHRD.

While Kanhaiya's bail will definitely help in our fight for the release of Umar and Anirban, there can be no let up in the pressure on these in this regard. Umar, who is as much Muslim as I am, will nevertheless continue be targeted for obvious reasons. In fact, I am told that Kanhaiya didn't want to apply for bail so that he could stay in jail so that the media doesn't savage Umar.

So, we have to continue to struggle on.

(This first appeared on the writer's Facebook page.)