“There are guards everywhere, there are numerous cameras. How could people painting the walls go unnoticed,” asks a student
Ghazala Ahmad | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – On Thursday, anti-Brahmin slogans were found scribbled on the walls of a building in the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Soon after, photographs of the graffiti went viral on social media.
Slogans like “Brahmins leave the campus”, “Brahmo-Baniyas we are coming for you” and “we will avenge you” were seen on the building of the School of International studies.
The doors of the faculty members were also spray painted with the graffiti asking them to go back to “Shakhas”, a term used to refer to rightwing Hindu organisation Rashtriya Swayemsewak Sangh (RSS).
The administration has assured an inquiry into the matter. A statement released by the University administration condemned the action stating that serious action will be taken against the miscreants.
A letter by the JNU Teachers’ Forum made an appeal to the students to be cognizant of all such incidents that threaten to disrupt the social harmony of the campus.
The forum also stated, in a letter, that the incident is an attempt to ‘intimidate, threaten, demoralise and degrade the academic space’. It also demanded that the administration should set up an independent committee to investigate the entire matter fairly.
Meanwhile, a student, associated with an Ambedkarite organisation at the campus, alleged that it is an attempt to delegitimise the anti-caste movement and ideology by the ABVP on the campus.
He said, “There are guards everywhere, there are numerous cameras yet nobody caught or see people painting the walls with anti-Brahmin slogans. On the contrary, when anything is done by students belonging to minorities or SC/ST on the campus, security suddenly becomes very efficient and sends notices against them.
“So, this simply means that it has not been done by an Ambedkarite or minority student group, otherwise the guards and cameras would have already identified culprits.”
Another student, on a condition of anonymity, said, “The manner in which it has been done points to the role of the ABVP. The modus operandi employed by the culprits is enough to substantiate the role of the rightwing group with numerous incidents in the past where it was engaged in such activity to play a victim card right from saying “Hindu khatre me hain” to The Kashmir Files. Everything is based on self and fake claims of victimhood of Hindus, Brahmins and upper castes.”
However, members of the ABVP, a student wing of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) have filed a complaint and submitted a memorandum to the administration.
