Don't camp-us

Nasrin Sultana

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), with its ‘exalted’ historical, political and intellectual inheritance, and despite the occasional aberrations of caste politics, gender insensitivity and violence in the campus, is yet a unique landmark in terms of the character and praxis of students’ politics. One wrong ‘anti-JNU ethos’ incident, and the entire campus moves into one solidarity to preserve its precious heritage.

For instance, JNU elections are held by students themselves, there is an election commission, wall spaces are allotted, expenses are minimum, posters and pamphlets are hand-made (though some rich right-wingers have tried glossy propaganda in recent times), muscle or money power is abhorred, public interest issues are publicly debated, and the level of debate is high: from Hugo Chavez to farmers’ suicides to globalisation to the emergence of fascism in India. No wonder, the Left forces are the strongest, and the main fight is always within the Left, though right-wingers like the ABVP and the NSUI have their share of the vote-bank. Predictably, in the last two years, the presidential post has been held by Mona Das of the AISA, students’ wing of the CPI(ML) – Liberation.

Mona Das is not only active with campus issues, you can see her sitting on an indefinite fast at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in support of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, even while a fasting Medha Patkar has been forcibly lifted by the police. Said Mona Das, “Thousands of the poor, dalits and tribals, are being forcibly displaced by big business and multinationals, so how can we stay cocooned within the campus? As students we must have a larger political responsibility and vision.”

So it was not surprising that Mona Das was out there in support of the students who were reportedly manhandled recently by the Jamia Millia Islamia Proctor, Rocket Ibrahim.  This is a democratic alliance, though Jamia in Delhi has a different story. Jamia saw elections in December, 2005, after eight years. Currently, the students’ union is banned.

During the December elections, the campus swayed to a different tune. Most students were detached, others joined after much persuasion. For many, tactics of campaigning were learnt for the first time. All the candidates contested independently, without political backing. The students feared that goonadism will rise in the campus. Wafa Hamid, an English literature student, says, “At the first instance, we were very skeptical. It all seems highly jingoistic.” 

Jamia was closed sine die and the police came. Students on July 19, 2006, protested against the administration's decision not to grant admission to some ‘qualified’ candidates. The proctor apparently resorted to ‘goonda tactics’, students were admitted in hospital, window panes and cars were broken in retaliation, the proctor was transferred and students went on an indefinite hunger-strike.

Now normalcy is restored in the university, but all is not well. Shams Pervez, president of banned student union of Jamia Millia Islamia, grumbles, “I am a final year student of public administration. If I don’t attend classes because of the ban, how will I appear for the exams?” He has filed a case against the vice-chancellor.