Being tolerant
 

Sir — The police have arrested Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the students’ union of Jawaharlal Nehru University (“The wicked uncle again”, Feb 15). Whether Kumar has acted in a manner that justifies the serious charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy brought against him is a matter that should be determined by the courts. At present, he faces a fate similar to that of Hardik Patel, who has also been slapped with the charge of sedition. The respective trial courts are expected to deal with the cases in accordance with Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. But this cannot prevent citizens from questioning the high-handed behaviour of the police in suppressing expressions of dissent. Were the police forced to act in this manner because of pressure from the government? 
The involvement of political parties, such as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress, in the JNU incident has resulted in the escalation of violence in the campus. One wonders whether the recent instances of disturbance in university campuses, particularly in the ones funded by the Union government, should be seen as a coincidence or as part of a larger game plan of the increasingly-assertive right-wing groups to establish their presence in these institutions. It is a pity that a university known for being a platform for voicing various kinds of public opinion is being accused of breeding anti-national elements. A tolerant approach to dissent is the hallmark of a democracy. 

Yours faithfully,S.K. Choudhury, Bangalore

Sir — The police commissioner of Delhi, B.S. Bassi, should immediately be relieved from duty. He has failed to stop the violence that broke out during a protest movement organized by students of JNU. The police force also failed to stop the unruly lawyers from attacking the president of the JNU students’ union, Kanhaiya Kumar. 
Bassi has, on several occasions, opposed the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal. The impression rapidly gaining ground is that the top cop is being used by the Union government to take to task all those who are critical of the Centre. In spite of Bassi’s claims, many legal practitioners, such as Soli Sorabjee and Fali Nariman, are of the opinion that Kumar must not be charged with sedition. The commissioner has become a yes-man of the Union government.

Yours faithfully,Ambar Mallick, Calcutta

Sir — JNU was set up with the objective of attracting the best minds across the country to the university. The institution receives high subsidies from the Union government. For long, the university students have been seen as being guided by Marxist ideology. It is now being alleged that JNU is becoming a hub of anti-national activities. On the pretext of holding a protest meeting, a group of students were reportedly raising slogans lionizing Afzal Guru. Guru was hanged for orchestrating the attack on Indian Parliament in 2001. He had been given every opportunity to defend his case. All the courts, including the Supreme Court, found him guilty and he was given the capital punishment. 

The students allegedly described the execution of Guru as a ‘judicial killing’ while raising anti-India slogans. According to the protesting students, the nation is in a bad state. One wonders if they have organized seminars to discuss the condition of Hindus in Pakistan or of the pandits in the Kashmir valley. Those who are supporting the students should state the reason for doing so. If students of Harvard University raised slogans praising Osama bin Laden while calling for the disintegration of the United States of America, would they not be condemned? What Kanhaiya Kumar and others did amounts to an act of sedition. It cannot be termed as dissent. Freedom of speech and expression is not absolute. It is subjected to reasonable restrictions. The students have crossed the lakshman rekha. 

Arresting more students will not serve any purpose. The government should order an inquiry to find out whether the students have links with any terror outfit.

Yours faithfully,Indranil Dasgupta,Melbourne, Australia

Sir — It would take some time for India to resolve the intolerance debate. Some Indians are still apprehensive about supporting the Central government out of fear of being called intolerant. The apprehension is so strong that they prefer not to speak up on controversial issues. Those who express their opinions are clever enough to do so in a manner that leaves room for ambiguity. The desire to be politically correct has become so intense that in future even the police may refuse to confront those who break the law. 
It has been reported that a group of students from JNU held a protest meeting condemning the execution of Afzal Guru, the Kashmiri separatist who was convicted and executed for his role in the 2001 Parliament attack. They apparently raised anti-India slogans and even threatened to fracture the nation. Surely, there is no freedom that gives a person the right to threaten the country. Unlike many who chose to ignore the matter, some students decided to protest against such condemnable activities in the JNU campus. By acting in this way, they have attracted the wrath of their fellow countrymen, who have called them political stooges of the ruling party. Fortunately, there are still many responsible citizens who are willing to support the cause of such students even at the risk of being misunderstood. No nation can play to the tunes of those who are willing to undermine its 
integrity.

Yours faithfully,Srikanta Bhattacharjee, Calcutta

 

 

BIHAR

United voice

Sir - The behaviour of a group of lawyers towards some journalists and the teachers and students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University outside the Patiala House courts complex in Delhi on February 15 was appalling ("Cops smile as lawyers beat up students and teachers", Feb 16). The lawyers slapped, punched and abused them. The Delhi government as well as the Union government should take stringent action against the errant lawyers. If they do not do so, it might appear as though the government has no intention of punishing them.

It also needs to be checked why the police officers in charge of the security arrangement at the court complex remained mute spectators to the incident. An explanation should also be sought from O.P. Sharma, a member of the legislative assembly from the Bharatiya Janata Party, who sided with the abusive lawyers during the ruckus. According to the Press Trust of India, Sharma was seen beating up the Communist Party of India activist, Ameeque Jamei. Political party leaders who resort to such violence in a public place should be taught an important lesson. Their parties must punish them.

Yours faithfully,Amit Singh, Patna

 

Sir - The recent arrest and prosecution of the JNU Students' Union president, Kanhaiya Kumar, is shocking. It shows the frustration of the ruling party with anyone who refuses to toe its line. On the one hand, students and civil rights activists are being slapped with sedition charges; on the other hand, right-wing fascist forces are celebrating the death anniversary of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.

The freedom of speech and expression includes the right to dissent and protest. By branding every act of dissent as anti-national, the government is undermining the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. This despicable trend of branding every dissenting Muslim as a terrorist and every dissenting Dalit as an anti-national element has gained ground after Narendra Modi came to power. With the incidents involving Rohith Vemula and Kanhaiya Kumar, the Modi government has repeatedly shown how fragile fundamental rights have become under his rule.

The acts of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad students, who allegedly shouted objectionable slogans by infiltrating the protest meeting of JNUSU students, should also be criticized. The Modi government should immediately withdraw the sedition charges against students and activists.

Yours faithfully,Ankita Priya, Patna

 

 Sir - It is the job of the judiciary to decide whether Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the JNUSU, deserves punishment for his alleged 'anti-national' speech. The court is expected to deal with the case in accordance with the law laid down by the Constitution. However, this should not prevent us from questioning the action of the police and whether it acted under pressure from the ruling party. In the meantime, tensions in the JNU campus have escalated, now that the issue has acquired political overtones. Leaders from the Left parties as well as from the Congress have joined the protesting students.

One cannot help but wonder whether the recent instances of campus disturbances in Central universities are mere coincidences or a part of the larger game plan of the right-wing forces to dominate such institutions. It is a matter of shame that a university which is known for providing a vibrant platform for intellectual debate has been branded as a place for breeding anti-national elements. Dealing with dissent in a nuanced fashion is the hallmark of democracy. The BJP would do well to remember that.

Yours faithfully,S.K. Choudhury, Bangalore

Parting shot

Sir - With the West Bengal assembly polls just a few months away, the chief minister of the state, Mamata Banerjee, has busied herself with garnering support for her party. She has introduced a number of social welfare projects which are costing the tax payers dearly. Her latest proposal to the Centre, to grant citizenship to all Bangladeshi citizens who have lived in Bengal for five or more years, is an example of this.

Yours faithfully,A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

 

ODISHA

Terror alert
 

Sir — The arrest of four terrorists in Rourkela on February 17 is a matter of concern for the people of the state (“Terror arrests point at intelligence failure”, Feb 18). The four were members of the proscribed outfit, Students Islamic Movement of India. A few months ago, a suspected terrorist, Maulana Abdul Rehman, had been arrested in Jagatpur, near Cuttack. The recurrence of such incidents, along with the fact that the recently 
arrested Simi activists had been living in Odisha since 2014, raises questions about the alertness of the police in Odisha. The police should be more vigilant.

Yours faithfully,Kedar Nayak, Cuttack

Sir — Is Odisha becoming a hideout for terrorists? In the last three years, a number of people linked to terror outfits have been arrested by the police in the state. Defence and security officials should look into the matter and investigate different angles. They must find out why Odisha is becoming a safe haven 
for anti-social elements.

Yours faithfully,Rashmi Routray, Bhubaneswar

Sir — After the arrest of the four Simi activists, the police should now put in place a plan of action for properly interrogating them. This would help them bust other such organizations. Furthermore, awareness drives should be undertaken to make people aware of the things they should do before letting out houses and rooms on rent. For instance, proper identity checks and background verification with the police are obligatory. Until the citizens cooperate, it will not be possible for the police to obliterate terrorist outfits. 

Yours faithfully,Smrutikant Behera, Rourkela

Sir — The recent arrest of four Simi activists has once again exposed the inefficiency of the police. There is no denying the fact that Odisha is turning into a refuge for extremists. The arrest of a suspected terrorist in Jagatpur and the incident of the burning of trains in Puri last year should have served as an eye-opener for the police. Such incidents may occur again if the police do not shed their apathy. 

Yours faithfully,Bhanupriya Panda, Balasore