dissent is not sedition

Citizens Committee for the Defense of Democracy 

The Citizens Committee for

the Defense of Democracy  strongly

condemns the clampdown in Jawaharlal

 Nehru University. We deplore the targeting

 of students and teachers and condemn the

culture of authoritarian menace that the

Central Government has unleashed. We

strongly believe that dissent is not sedition

 and invoking sedition laws against students,

ordering the police to enter the campus and

unlawfully arresting a student leader, issuing

warrants against many others on charges of

inciting violence, attacking students, teachers

and arrested student in the court premises,

are serious assault on the fundamental rights of

the citizens of this country. The right to dissent is

 fundamental to maintaining democracy

and the recent developments have shaken the

 foundations of democracy. We condemn the

indiscriminate use of the colonial law of sedition

 on dissenting voices.

The attack on JNU is an attack on our diversity,

on public funding of universities and access

to higher education for the common people.

The vicious campaign of ‘tax-payers’ monies

funding the anti-nationals ’ is highly regressive

 and malicious. It is only through public

funding and reservation policies that access to

 higher education has been expanded for students

from all backgrounds, especially girl students from

 poorer backgrounds. It is public funding which

makes higher education accessible to many.

We are pained and angry that a public institution

 of higher learning has been attacked with

such viciousness, systematically and calculatedly.

 JNU offers a vibrant space for learning,

questioning, debating and developing a political

understanding of structural injustices.

We are extremely concerned that the police is

completely turned into a silent spectator as

students, teachers and activists are publicly

assaulted and abused, and hate and violence

is incited against agitating students. The police is

openly issuing such loaded statements,

which law abiding citizens perceive as threatening.

To disagree and question is every citizen’s right

 and the JNU students are only exercising

 their right, peacefully and with utmost restraint and

civility. We are particularly concerned about the

safety of our young women and men students who

are being intimidated by the University administration,

 police and the marauding mobs which have been

 unleashed on the students in the vicinity of JNU

and in and around the Court where cases against

accused student is being heard.

We deplore the labeling of “anti-national” of those

 who are exercising their democratic right of

challenging the majoritarian orthodoxy. We believe

 that this will render this country intellectually

 poorer if critical thinking is pushed to a space

which is reserved for the enemy.

We condemn sections of the visual and print

media for their open partisanship, irresponsible

 coverage, misreporting, and blacking out news

 and views of the striking students.

We feel it is time for all thinking people of this

 city to come together and raise our collective

voices in defense of academic freedom, right to

 dissent and defend the spaces for democratic dissent.

We unequivocally demand that

1.      

All cases and charges should be withdrawn against

all JNU students immediately and unconditionally.

The matter should have been handled by a responsible

 committee internal to JNU, with a fair representation

 of teachers, rather than calling in the police.

2.

The administration of JNU should be held accountable

 for dereliction of duty, collaborating with the Police in

 falsely charging the students, enabling the police to search

university premises and hostels and arrest students at the

expense of internal processes and without consulting the

 university faculty and office bearers. The University

administration’s bowing to the government pressure

compromised University autonomy with serious

implications for the careers of students and prospects

of pursuing degrees.

3.

No police should be allowed to enter the campus and all

 plainclothes police be removed from the campus immediately.

4.

No University premises including the hostels should be

checked by anyone other than the university administration

 and only in the presence of the wardens.

5.

Delhi police should restrain the menacing gangs roaming

about in the vicinity of JNU intimidating the students,

teachers and solidarity groups. We demand that rather than

unleashing these mobs on the University community with a

 malicious intent, effective steps should be taken to prevent

 such mobs from indulging in mischief.

6.

Police should act responsibly, performs its duty and

ensures safety of the students, teachers and solidarity

 groups in courts and in public spaces and allow them to

 exercise their lawful rights of voicing their concerns.

Romila Thapar, Krishna Sobti, Harbans Mukhia, Harsh

Mander, Navsharan Singh, Nalini Taneja, Asad Zaidi,

 Mangalesh Dabral, Subhash Gatade, Uma Chakravarty,

Syeda Hameed; Sukumar Muralidharan, Prabir Purkayastha,

 Puneet Bedi, Rahul Roy, Saba Dewan, Urvashi Butalia,

Tapan Bose, Nandita Narain, Peggy Mohan, Farah Naqvi,

Neeraj Malik, Javed Malik, Jawrimal Parakh, Devaki Jain,

Dinesh Mohan, Prabhat Patnaik, Bharat Bhushan, Dunu Roy,

Jean Dreze, Tanika Sarkar, Sumit Sarkar, Warisha

Farasat, Seema Mustafa, Farida Khan, Salil Mishra

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