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Voting in Delhi Elections: Outstation Students’ Edition

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The Right to Vote is imperative, but exercising the same is not easy, given the technicalities associated with it. This piece brings you the procedure, of how an outstation student can exercise their Right to Vote in the Capital, where they study.

On 11th January, the last date for registering as a voter in Delhi, the students of St. Stephen’s College organized a drive to aid the outstation students in including their names in the electoral list, this piece is in respect to the drive, formulated a guide for outstation students to vote in Delhi.

1. You can cast your vote once you have a voter ID card and your name enrolled in the electoral roll. In case you do not have a voter ID card, register on the national voter’s service portal (www.nvsp.in).

2. For an outstation student, Form 6 (which is available on the National Voters’ Service Petrol (NSVP) website) needs to be filled online.

3. The most important part is the address proof, which depends on the student’s place of residence. For students residing in college hostels, Annexure IV needs to be scanned and uploaded. The Annexure IV is a declaration for students living in hostels, which is to be ratified by the Dean or the Principal, depending upon

the type of institution. For students living elsewhere, a copy of rental agreement passes muster.

4. The documents involved in the process are imperative as well. An Aadhar card or any equivalent document is required to ascertain the age of the applicant. The address of a student is important as well, and Annexure IV or rental agreement are the two ways to go about it.

5. After registering your name, address, proof of age and residence, you will be given an application number. A text message on the contact number provided by you will confirm the registration.

6. On the day of voting, go to the nearest polling booth of your constituency. The voting time is usually from 7 am to 5 pm.

7. Once inside the booth, a polling officer will check if your name is present in the list and verify your details with your votercard.

8. You will be inked by another polling booth officer and handed a slip. Then you will be asked to sign against your name in a register, which is the Form 17A.

9. A third officer will check if you have been inked on either of your index fingers. He or she will then forward you towards the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).

10. Once you stand across the EVM, you will find buttons against candidates and the party that they represent, listed. NOTA or none of the above will also be one of the options available.

Evita Rodrigues, one of the organisers of the drive at St. Stephen’s College said, “Sometimes it’s easy to underestimate the value of single registration and thereby a single vote. The entire process of and the effort it entails can often be discouraging. We were able to help nearly a hundred students fill the online form on extremely short notices and help around thirty non-teaching staff apply fresh or for corrections in existing cards.”

But why is this important at all? The answer lies in the policies created by the

Delhi Government. These students, like others, must have the power to elect a government that shall frame policies for their betterment. It is important for every student to exercise their political rights, which benefits both the students and the state.

In a state like Delhi, where the students are a major stakeholder, it is important to aid them in exercising their political rights. Students across Delhi and elsewhere should make endeavours to do what Evita and others did in St. Stephen’s College. Students, therefore, have the onus of extending political rights among themselves, as well as others in our society.

Feature Image Credits: Evita Rodrigues

Kuber Bathla

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LSR Indefinitely Defers Tarang, Cites Security Issues

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Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), has indefinitely deferred their annual cultural fest, Tarang, citing safety and security of the students as the main reason behind its cancellation.

On 5th February 2020, a statement released by the organisers of Tarang, states “keeping in mind the present environment and concerns regarding the safety and security of students. Tarang has been deferred until further notice. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

Dissenting Voices of LSR, a collective started by students within the college, released a statement which states, that “Tarang, which was supposed to take place after a poll by the students. The poll decided it would take place, and, was not cancelled by the students who spoke out against it”

They point out the ironic nature of how “a huge majority of students in a liberal arts college believe they can curtail an individual’s fundamental right to protest.” they also allege that the Student Union, which has initially brought up the idea of cancelling Tarang is deliberately shifting the “blame for the fest being cancelled by the repressive admin to the marginalised students.”

The cancellation of Tarang also affects the societies within LSR. As Disha Rawal, one of the coordinators for Projekt, LSR’s Film and Photography society said, “ I think as a society we really looked forward to Tarang, and we planned a lot for it. We had an exhibition, film events, and photography events. As a society, we really looked forward to Tarang as the one place where we will get to showcase your work and interact with the circuit, which is very important. The effects it has had along with morale going down is that to establish yourself in the circuit, you need to have events and Tarang was our main event now we will have to look for other things which will be smaller in scale and size, secondly, this will lead to a trust deficit with the sponsors. On the other hand, I do understand where the admin has come from, there is a security concern, so we are assured now that no threat will play out.”

DU Beat has reached out to the administration and members of the Students’ Union and received no comment as of yet. This report will be updated on receiving further information from them.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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Electoral Literacy: Ideological Analysis of the Trinity

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The current political scenario is a testimony to the necessity of understanding the ideology of those contesting. This piece aims to highlight, an analysis of the ideology of the three biggest contenders of the Delhi Assembly Elections.

 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP):

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting the Delhi Assembly Elections in alliance with Janata Dal United (JDU) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). The party has not yet officially passed its vision document but there is speculation among the people predicting that most of the party’s manifestos will revolve around water and electricity, owing to the subsidies granted by the ruling Government in these sectors. 

The same was confirmed in the speeches delivered by Manoj Tiwari, Member of Parliament. Tiwari, in his election campaigns and speeches, has promised of providing free 25,000 litres of good quality freshwater without the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) suffering any loss if the party comes into power. 

He has further assured that the party, if elected won’t discontinue the present subsidies and would rather increase them. With electricity, health, infrastructure, education, and water, being the key focus of development, as per the contesting BJP leaders, the party guarantees of working efficiently for the entire tenure of 5 years. 

 

 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP):

 

 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has released an official ‘guarantee card’ highlighting 10 promises that the Party will deliver if it gets elected again. The Party has a total of 8 women candidates which are contesting the elections from their respective constituencies.

 The Guarantee Card assures of free bus rides for students and deployment of Mohalla Marshals (District officers) for women’s security. The card entitled as ’10 guarantees of Kejriwal’, even mentions of the continuation of the scheme, free electricity up to 200 units, more than 11,000 buses, and an increment in the length of the Delhi Metro network to over 500 km, plantation of 2 crore saplings in the National Capital and free health care facilities along with a garbage-free, clean city. 

“I am giving 10 guarantees to the people of Delhi. This is not a manifesto. We will launch a comprehensive manifesto in 7-10 days. The manifesto will have more things specific for students, teachers, among others. This will be for everyone,” said Kejriwal. These guarantees even before the release of the manifesto document have gathered huge support for the party. 

 

 

Indian National Congress (INC):

 Alike to BJP, Congress also has promised sops in the sectors of water and electricity. The leaders of the Party declared that, if voted, will provide the people with free electricity up to 600 units along with the establishment of a power plant to generate electricity in the Capital. With a promise to revolutionise the water and electricity department, the Party is trying to revive its fortunes in the city which it ruled for 15 years. 

Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament (MP), organised a campaign on 3rd January 2020, titled “Samwaad Dilli ke Dil ki Baat, Congress ke Saath“(Conversation with Delhi residents for Delhi) to seek ideas of the public to design their manifestos. 

“Unlike the Kejriwal government, which has been using public money to benefit themselves, we will give relief to consumers up to 600 units. If Congress comes to power, we will transfer the subsidy directly into the bank accounts of consumers. This will be a major part of our manifesto in the upcoming elections,” said, Mukesh Sharma, Delhi Congress Spokesperson. 

 

It must be realised by each voter, that vision and intent, are the two prime qualities that should be judged in a politician. The piece aims to encourage all to understand both the factors and ensure their vote in the upcoming elections.
Feature image credits: Zee news

Kriti Gupta 

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Education, Not Religious Agitation: AAP and BJP in the Delhi Elections

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The strong suit of Arvind Kerjiwal’s politics is education and it is allowing him to maintain strategic diplomacy amid the rising protest wave. Read our Editor’s breakdown of the same for the young voters.

It is a pivotal time to be a young person in India. One is, in all likelihood, emerging out of the cocoon of years of familial and social conditioning on politics, caste, and religion in India. For those with marginalised identities, it is a time to see hypocrisies and ‘apolitical’ apathy exposing before their eyes in the disguise of ‘liberal’ peers and acquaintances. For one and for all, this time of life in Delhi – the capital city of the democracy at crossroads with itself – is a time to find the most acceptable notions and ideals of politics.

The protest wave across the country has ensured that the policies of the current administration do not go unchallenged, unnoticed, and undemocratic. But what the upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections bank on is not the ideological fabric, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Indian National Congress (INC), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on different angles of an abstract, but the confidence of the electorate is being towed for using tangents that do not exist in the same plane. It is not a pro-immigration, anti-immigration stance of the US politics, for instance, that is being used by the parties with their hats in the ring, but if one is speaking of Issue A, the other two are not even using letters from the English alphabet.

In a discourse like this, the prospect of choosing in itself becomes daunting to young voters. Shaheen Bagh, Hauz Rani, Seelampur may be sloganeering to defend the Constitution from the fascism-echoing Central Government, but the fact of the matter remains that the Chief Minister (CM)-incumbent, AAP’s Kejriwal is not a messiah either. He has a flighty reputation that is hard to salvage in politics, but in choosing to pick performance as his pitch, Kejriwal seems to denounce the religious and communal sentiment that is the lifeblood of BJP’s politics. INC, running circles in its own stubbornness to move past monarchical party politics, only appears to have the support of 2.4% of the population of the Capital, as per the IANS-CVoter survey conducted on Republic Day.

Developing India’s middle-class finds itself concerned with the issues of practicality – education and healthcare. Religious politics in the Country may be a deeply entrenched institution that impacts the rest of its social and economic fabric, as asserted by Ambedkar in Caste in India, but it appears to be insufficient for winning over the electorate in 2020 Delhi. BJP’s model of growth under the leadership of Narendra Modi brought immense confidence in the economic strategy of the party, and despite the Hindu radicalism that paved a way for the 2002 Gujarat Riots (some argue that maybe, based on the Riots itself) the rise of the hero-like figure was inevitable. The different ways TIME magazine has presented Modi over the past decade (as researched and articulated by The Wire) shows the shift in the areas that the BJP hailed to gain its electorate’s confidence. With the latest tag of “Divider in Chief”, the religious grounds have become more explicit than ever.

What AAP then offers Delhi is not the promise of its cleanest show of politics, but AAP’s strategy to denounce the fight involving communal sentiments and the CAA-NPR-NRC debate is as diplomatic, and evidently efficient, as a move gets. Over 58% of the voting public expresses satisfaction with the work Kejriwal has engaged in for Delhi, and that renders BJP nearly bewildered. For INC, it had the whataboutism concerning the Kashmiri Pandits and the accusations of a Muslim-appeasing ideology to rope in its Savarna vote-bank on a national scale, but AAP refuses to take up this debate in its entirety. While the state-of-the-art infrastructure and conditions of government schools in AAP’s Delhi portray the development in the education sector with a chunk of the party’s budget focusing on the same, former BJP President and present Home Minister, Amit Shah, spews about how electing BJP would amount to the rightful (according to him) suppression of dissent at Shaheen Bagh – these different focal points leave no room for a civil political race that cuts close.

In a discussion on the elections with a former NDTV journalist, he called BJP “anti-knowledge” and that is the most suitable terminology for its attitude towards Delhi as well. In taking its religious politics too far, it is losing its façade of economic prosperity. In politics, you can’t piss off too many people at once and that is what the BJP’s overconfidence seems to have forgotten in Jharkhand, and now, apparently Delhi. Ambedkar’s refrain of “educate, organise, agitate” is echoing across the protest-sites, and in making education his playing field, Kejriwal appears to be organising a strategic agitation against the communalism-oriented BJP.

 

Anushree Joshi

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Political Parties and DU: Thoughts to Consider

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As many students finish their first semester in Delhi University (DU), the country is faced with a major political crisis which has divided India. At this time, should you join a student political party?

DU is an extremely political campus, with all colleges having some or the other form of student representation, with a wider Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) which represents students from most of the DU colleges. Some of the major student political parties present in DU are the Right wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is affiliated to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), which is affiliated to Congress, All India Students Association (AISA) which is associated with Communist Party of India ( Marxist-Leninist) ( CPI-ML), and Students’ Federation of India which is associated with Communist Party of India (Marxist) ( CPI-M).

Many first years would have been told when they joined DU to stay away from politics by their parents, fearing the incidents of violence which come to play in DU politics. The political crisis in the country started by the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which many opposed due to its openly islamophobic and communal nature and came out on the streets to protest against it. On the other side, groups have come out in support of this act.

Before joining a political party in a spur of the moment decision, one must try to consider what the party stands for. Joining a party just because you want to express dissent or because those around you are joining is not the right option, while these parties might give you the space to dissent and information about protests, it is important to know the ideologies that the party that you want to join, stands for. This can easily be done by reading the manifesto of the party.

Most parties can be easily joined by filling out a form on their website or by looking for their representatives on campus. If you do decide to join one, remember that you get to choose your level of participation. Being in parties will also open you up to learning more about the idealogies and the people behind them. Do not be discouraged by those telling you not to join, if you believe it is the the way to express yourself politically, then these organizations are the best way to go for it.

Feature Image credits: Noihirit Gogoi for DU Beat

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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Sex Amma: The Myth about Casual Dating

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Dear Amma, if I indulge in casual dating, does it give me the tag of a ‘fuck boy’?

Casual dating! Ahhh you know, this is one of Amma’s favourite term when it comes to a conversation about intimacy and stuff related to it. My lovely medu vada, let me tell you one thing when it comes to casual dating, consent and a mutual approval is of utmost importance.
Having a Rava idli just to have its top garnishes of tomato and Kaju without informing her about your plans and intentions in the very beginning is what makes a low quality vada. But, having an idli who approves of your plans and herself wants to be had without sambhar or chutney is absolutely fine.

My dear dosa, the terms and conditions of a casual relationship vary from couple to couple. Owing to the complexity and a variety of flavors to be explored in the sambhar of sexual pleasure, some people desire to experience something else and others, something different. It entirely depends upon you and your idli’s mutual desires of pleasure that what you as couple wishes to experience and what not. Thinking and properly deciding everything beforehand is what Amma would suggest you if you are planning to have a casual bond with your idli.

The youth, often frustrated with the many commitments that the society makes them to have with themselves and their families, gets easily intrigued by casual dating and relationships, something which is not wrong. But, at the same time one should not forget that even casual dating comes with some basic human expectations and doesn’t provide any idli or vada with a liberty to spoil the flavour of cheer and contentment of their partners. So, my special medu be careful of never making your idli feel unworthy or gloomy in any respect, make sure the amount of satisfaction and joy that you get from your connection should be the same for your idli.
Amma recalls of you using the term ‘fuck boy’ in your question. My medu vada, a fuck boy is a vada in which the hole required for fitting a heart is absent and he continues breaking idlis just for the sake of his own pleasure, paying no regard to other’s emotions or feelings. But, if you follow Amma’s advice and properly converse about all your desires and pleasures you wish to seek, then you won’t fall in that category for sure. Often, people see getting casually involved as a crime or sin but trust your amma, anything that makes you happy, without stealing somebody else’s smile will not be falling in that critical category. So go ahead and turn your fantasies into reality.

(For more sex related queries, write to [email protected])

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15th National Climbing Competition at St. Stephen’s College

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The Hiking Club, St. Stephen’s College organised its 15th National Climbing Competition, from 31st January to 2nd February 2020. The event was a ravishing success with participation in varied categories like lead and speed climbing, between various age groups.

The Adventure Club of St. Stephen’s College, called The Hiking Club, organised its 15th National Climbing Competition. The event commenced on 31stJanuary and went on to 2ndFebruary 2020.  The event was incentivised with prizes worth Rs. 60,000, making the gymnasium of the college echo with loud cheers and hoots.

The National Climbing Competition is an annual event, which awards the player who can climb the set distance in the shortest time. This year’s edition of the Annual Competition was adjudged by Mr Rohit Solanki and Mr Chandan Kumar.

Participants from all over Delhi put on their competitive shoes while eyeing the prizes up for grabs. All participants were full of enthusiasm and eagerly waited for their turns. The results of the competitions were announced on 1stFebruary and 2ndFebruary, and they are:

In the ‘Under 16 Boys Speed’ category, Sachin Saroj bagged the first position, Manujee in the second position and Kabir won the third position.

In the ‘Under 16 Girls Speed’ category, Arshpreet Kaur emerged as the winner, and Simran Kaur and Nandini Dhir came second and third respectively.

For the ‘Open Women Speed’ category, Shivpreet Pannu got the first place, Shivani Charak and Siya Negi, emerging at the second and third place, repectively.

For the ‘Open Men Speed’, Inder Singh was declared the winner, and Bhuvnesh won the second place, while Sarvan bagged the third place.

For the ‘Under 16 Boys Lead’ category, Sachin Saroj again bagged the first place. Manujee and Vansh Bhardwaj bagged the second and third position respectively.

For the ‘Under 16 Girls Lead’ Category, Arshpreet Kaur won the first place, and Nandini Dhir came second, followed by Simran Kaur at the third place.

In the ‘Open Men Lead’ category, Sachin Saroj emerged as the winner, followed by Abhishek Mehta in the second position and Inder Singh in the third place. In the ‘Open Women Lead’ category, Shivpreet Pannu bagged the first place, followed by Shivani Charak and Siya Negi at the second and third positions.

 

Feature image credits- Gyanarjun Saroj for DU Beat

Suhani Malhotra

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KNC Administration Silences the Silent Protest

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A silent protest which was supposed to take place by students of Kamala Nehru College stands allegedly cancelled by the college authorities.

 

On 31 January 2020, students of Kamala Nehru College (KNC), were set to organize a silent protest at the pavement, opposite to college, themed around ‘students demanding change’ around 10 AM. Posters were circulated the night before in different class WhatsApp groups about this mobilization.

 

However, on the morning of 31st January, confusion filled the air when talks of change in venue started to fly around. Around 11 AM the word which spread was that the venue has shifted to the main gate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DCAC). 

Messages which were in circulation read,

“Hi KNCites. 

Since the admin and the principal have chosen to give us a hard time we are now mobilizing at the DCAC main gate. 

A call has been given to all the south campus students to come there. CLASSES CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME BUT ATROCITIES AGAINST STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE A SPACE IN THIS COUNTRY. 

It’s at 11:30 at the DCAC”

Since the incident, a lot of confusion started to fly around. According to sources, a meeting took place to aid communication between principal and students regarding this, however, the content of the meeting was not shared exclusively. 

DU Beat approached the Students’ Union of KNC for more clarity on this issue and they said, “Keeping in view the current scenario, if we’re convinced about our actions we can always meet the Principal and have an open dialogue with her, as far as we know she would be positive. That day during the interaction she talked about innovating the method of protest and didn’t disapprove of the idea of dissent.” They further added, “The dialogue does not only bridge the communication gap between the administration and the students but also helps a way out of the situation in the best interest of KNC.”

This stance, however, differed from what students thought. Initially, when asked upon, teachers and students expressed their qualms and denied openly talking about this issue. A source, however, agreed to talk, provided her request to have her identity remain undisclosed said, “In recent times students of KNC have faced a lot of backlash from college authorities, especially from the Principal. The students of Theatre Society were made to cancel their street play because the principal found it to be too political.”

While hinting towards the recent shift of silent protest, she added, “On 31st January the students of the College, organized a protest, which was supposed to take place outside College pavement, and she stood against it. She talked to the faculty to stop students from protesting and threatened students with rustication. She even announced on college speakers that if anyone is seen protesting, strict disciplinary actions will be taken against them. Later, she pinpointed departments and called for an emergency staff meeting which led the students feel scared about losing college.”

 

Similar patterns of events were observed when rumours about the authorities cancelling Lakshya: the Theater Society’s Fest: Concoction, went around. The cancellation was believed to be on the grounds of play having a political inclination. Although sources have confirmed that society members have communicated with the administration amidst the rumours and permission for fest has been granted, and they will proceed with it. 

Kriti Dwivedi, an alma mater of KNC, batch of 2019, openly expressed her disbelief through her social media pages. However, when asked upon to provide concrete evidence on which she based her accusations, she denied expressing it, the reason being the safety of those students who have some lead.

The notion of students having the liberty to express themselves freely and authorities meddling in between has gained quite a momentum in the campus. The Union and Society Presidents hold different ideas compared to what general students think. 

So far, no concrete evidence has been found which validates that the authorities hamper freedom of expression of students. But the eerie similarity of silence has started to raise apprehensions.

There’s silence in Kamala Nehru, and there’s no backing to say that if it’s for good or bad.
Feature Image Credits: College Dunia

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Union Budget 2020 Leaves DUTA with Disappointment

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The Union Budget 2020 released by the Government has left Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) highly dismayed for not addressing their proposals and grievances even after a series of strikes and protests.

The union budget 2020 passed by the Government has left the DUTA extremely disappointed for not paying heed to the deepening crisis in public-funded higher education. Despite the strikes by the professors of University of Delhi (DU), the Government, in its budgetary allocation, still continues on its path of privatization by reducing grants and promoting a loan funded education through allocating a greater budget, with an increase of 100 crores to Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA). A large part of it is earmarked for expensive bureaucratic schemes such as world-class universities and others, causing fear of promotion in disparity and institutional hierarchy in the sector. The budget also encourages commercialisation and obstructs the traditional classroom teaching by mentioning a separate provision for full online degree programs.

DUTA DEADLOCK ENDS

Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Amrita Ajay, a professor from English department, Maitreyi college says, “I am not sure if it’s going to be a good model as there is no substitute for classroom teaching, in the world the MOOC’s have only taken up these causes but, I don’t know how far these online degrees contribute in terms of their knowledge increasing.” She further says that she is a little apprehensive for the same. The aggregate increase in the budgetary allocation for higher education from INR 38317 crores to INR 39466 crores presents a marginal increase of 2.79 % and from this as well a large part of the money is earmarked for expenditure which is of no direct benefit for students or teachers. There is also a reduction in the grants allocation for central universities from INR 2593 crores to INR 2298 crores.

Rajib Ray, DUTA President said, “The DUTA fears that the slashing of grants in higher education will affect permanent recruitments and promotions of teachers across central universities. These universities are already being filled to push a large number of vacancies with short term contractual appointments instead of attracting and retaining academic talent.” He further continued, “This scenario will eventually lead to a sharper decline in the quality and academic standards of these institutions.” The Economic survey clearly points out that this model of education deprives the students belonging to financially middling and poor families of higher educational studies.

The corporate greed and interest in having financial institutions have left the Government completely blind to the widespread protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), University of Hyderabad (UoH), DU, and other universities against the increment in the tuition fees, along with hostel and mess charges. The budget pushes the traditionally worshipped teachers to the lowest of the priority list as it allocates greater funds to begin virtual classrooms associated with the online degree programs. This somewhere, even highlights that the need to maintain and upgrade classrooms, laboratories, and libraries would be ignored and will stand in high contrast to the Government’s scheme of world-class type universities.

With respect to the Government’s model of having a loan sponsored higher education system, the DUTA president said, ” the lessons of the US debt crisis, in which the share of unrecovered student loans was extremely large, does not seem to have gone home. The substitution of direct subsidy by loans may assist private financiers in the short term, but it is a recipe for a disaster waiting to happen.”

Feature image caption: DUTA strike against the recommendation of 7th pay revision.

Feature image credits:  DU Beat 

Kriti Gupta 

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Shots fired in Jamia Millia Islamia, Student Injured for Protesting Peacefully

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In a shocking incident, an armed,unidentified  person entered the premises of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), brandishing a gun and fired at a gathering of anti-CAA protesters, injuring one student.

Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) have reverberated throughout the country in recent times, with JNU, a premier institution situated in the Capital, being one of the foremost centres of open dissent. During one such demonstration of dissent, albeit a peaceful one, students of the university had gathered for a march to Rajpath when they were confronted by a man brandishing a handgun. He reportedly shouted slogans – “azaadi chahiye? Ye lo azaadi” (You want freedom? Here, have your freedom) before firing shots at the protesters, injuring one student. The victim, Shadab Najar, a student of the Mass Communication and Research Centre (MCRC Department) at the University, was shot in the arm and was immediately rushed for treatment. The shooter, who was later found to be a juvenile, is currently in police custody, while the condition of the victim is stable. 

This chilling incident occurred just a day after Anurag Thakur, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) and Union Minister gave a controversial speech at a rally in Delhi, where he used the words “goli maaro” (shoot them) while speaking against the anti-CAA demonstrations in the country. The Jamia Teachers’ Association, which condemned the incident, blamed the Union Minister’s speech for the incident, stating, “We are convinced that this shooting, which could have been fatal, was the direct result of the call to goli maaro or shoot by an elected Member of Parliament”.  

There was widespread public outrage over the inability of the Delhi Police to prevent the incident, despite being present in large numbers on the scene. A Jamia Professor, on the condition of anonymity, said, “the incident unfolded right in front of the police and they were mute spectators to it.”

Praveer Ranjan, Delhi Police Special Commissioner, rubbished claims of complacency against the force, and asserted that a quick reaction wasn’t possible since the incident happened in a split of a second. Footage of videos shot by eye witnesses show that the Police a few feet from the assailant, stood still, in a defensive position. Delhi Police did manage to catch the shooter, preventing further damage.

The assailant, found to be only seventeen years old, was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to protective custody for 14 days. Police officials present at the hearing told NDTV that the accused reportedly planned to create the same situation at Shaheen Bagh but ultimately decided to go near the the Jamia campus instead. They also reported that he seemed to have been influenced by inflammatory posts on social media. An investigation into his Facebook posts revealed instances of pro-Hindutva slogans, and photos with firearms. Home Minister Amit Shah called for stringent criminal proceedings against the assailant.

The victim was admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre and discharged the next day in a stable condition.

Social media stood united in the denouncement of the incident, with pictures of the victim, supportive messages and criticisms against violent elements, and the inertia of the police, being circulated across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. “Such an incident happening inside a prominent educational institution, especially a day before Martyrs’ Day, endangers the sanctity of education and the integrity of the nation,” opined Arnav Agrawal, a University of Delhi, student residing near the campus.

Feature Image Credits – India Today

Feature Image Caption – Shadab Najar, Student of Jamia Millia Islamia, who was shot by the assailant for protesting.

Araba Kongbam

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