India's Jawaharlal Nehru University is famous for its liberal environment and critical ethos. The attack by masked assailants on its students is an attempt to silence India's secular forces, says DW's Debarati Guha.
New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in India.
It was a dream project of Jawaharlal Nehru, the South Asian country's first prime minister. Nehru wanted to combine excellence and equality at JNU, offering quality education to students from all parts of the country, even from the underdeveloped states.
I remember the day when I first entered the JNU campus and took the small pathway to the Center of Social Sciences. On the way was an old banyan tree under which renowned scholars like Romila Thapar, Sudipta Kaviraj, Rajeev Bhargava, and even the country's latest Nobel laureate, Abhijit Banerjee, had sat.
Fellow students told me stories about the historic student protests at JNU when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed emergency rule in the 1970s, or how JNU students protected Sikhs during the 1984 riots. I myself participated in several hunger strikes during a brief stint as the student councilor.
I would never have imagined that masked goons, armed with sticks and stones, would one day storm the university campus, assaulting students and teachers
Debarati Guha, head of DW Asia
Widening gulf between intellectuals and masses
It is alarming that Indian universities, including JNU, have become a center stage of an ideological conflict, in which the right-wing groups are increasingly using the "nationalism card" to stifle dissent.
JNU has repeatedly been accused of promoting anti-government activities, which could be the reason for police inaction during the January 5 attack on secular students by the members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (AVBP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's mother organization.
The masked attackers said their assault was part of their "united front against the left," as they unleashed terror on peaceful students that were protesting against a fee hike as well as a new citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims.
Read more: Opinion: India's new citizenship act is unconstitutional
The current situation is definitely not conducive to progressive learning. Mahatma Gandhi's speeches on civil disobedience, Michel Foucault's texts on discipline, and Partha Chatterjee's lectures on good and bad nationalism ring hollow now.
The distance between intellectuals and the masses is rapidly increasing in India, posing a serious threat to the country's secular values and constitutional supremacy.
India finds itself in this quagmire not just because the BJP's government is trying to undermine India's secular ethos; it is also due to the fact that people have become skeptical of secularism in the past few years. This is also happening because of a lack of intellectual culture in the country and an attack on political decency.
Read more: India's Modi refuses to budge on citizenship law despite mass protests
Indian democracy could paralyze
I find it disturbing that a spate of anti-Muslim measures by the government is being hailed not only by Hindu supremacists but also a growing number of people from the "moderate" middle-class.
This relatively large group of people includes many "liberal Hindus," who are not necessarily anti-Muslim. But unfortunately, the fear-mongering has made them vulnerable to the Hindu nationalists' anti-secular propaganda. Hence, it is no longer a domain of the far-right groups to challenge special privileges for Muslims.
This trend can paralyze the world's largest democracy. It is time that India's secular people form a united front and confront the fundamentalist discourse.
India's future remains uncertain under the incumbent government. I am afraid that even if opposition parties eventually regain power, they will struggle to roll back the BJP's right-wing policies.
Read more: Protesters killed as India's Modi meets lawmakers over citizenship bill
INDIA'S NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW IGNITES RELIGIOUS TENSIONS
Shutdown in parts of India
The Indian government suspended internet services and tightened security on Friday in several parts of the country, including the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The government is expecting another wave of violent protests against the controversial new Citizenship Amendment Act, which was enacted on December 11.
DW RECOMMENDS
Fresh student protests hit India over university attack
Monday's protests follow a violent attack by masked assailants on students at a university in New Delhi. Some have blamed the clashes on a student group linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. (06.01.2020)
Protesters killed as India's Modi meets lawmakers over citizenship bill
India's Prime Minister called a meeting with ministers to assess the ongoing protests over a controversial citizenship bill. So far at least 23 people have died, with the violent protests showing no sign of stopping. (21.12.2019)
India's Modi refuses to budge on citizenship law despite mass protests
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to give in to the demands of tens of thousands of protesters opposing a controversial citizenship law. The country's top court refused to stall the law's implementation. (18.12.2019)
Indian parliament approves citizenship bill, sparking protests
Protesters in India's ethnically diverse northern regions clashed with police, as the contentious bill passed the upper house of parliament. Muslims will be excluded from the fast-track citizenship laws. (11.12.2019)
Opinion: India's new citizenship act is unconstitutional
India's move to exclude Muslims from seeking a fast track to citizenship is blatantly discriminatory. It will not be long before the fundamental pluralistic character of India is altered, says DW's Debarati Guha. (12.12.2019) India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions
Dozens of people have been killed as a result of protests against India's controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. Critics say the law is aimed at marginalizing Muslims and goes against India's secular constitution. (27.12.2019)
Date 08.01.2020
Author Debarati Guha
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Vu0M
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