Activists of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) on Friday conducted a “poetry procession” at Delhi University’s North Campus to protest against violence in educational institutions.
The event, “Harmony Shall Win: Poetry on Streets”, was flagged off from the Arts Faculty, where students from across DU colleges recited poems and essays on hate-free campuses.
Zero tolerance
The gathering then went to various colleges and sang songs on non-violence. The students carried colourful balloons and posters to spread their message of peace.
When the participants entered Ramjas College, they were allegedly heckled by members of the Ahkil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), who shouted slogans like “anti-national AISA get out of campus”. Police officers accompanying the procession prevented any untoward incident.
Speaking at the event, the students said Dalits and minorities were being lynched in the name of “cow protection”.
“Such incidents not only fill us with shame, but also expose the travesty of our constitutional democracy,” the participants said.
They further said that violence had become common in DU.
Seminars had been disrupted and offices vandalised in the name of nationalism or religion, the students said.
“The most brutal of such incidents happened last year, when stones were pelted at Ramjas College because the ABVP did not like the speakers of a seminar that was supposed to be held there,” said the members.
‘Seminars disrupted’
They added that a seminar on “Annihilation of Caste” was disrupted by the ABVP in Deshbandhu College last year and an event on the “Idea of University” was also attacked by the same organisation.
Recently, a professor from Shri Ram College of Commerce was beaten up for not increasing the marks of a student allegedly belonging to the ABVP, they added.
“Inciting violence on campuses is an attempt to intimidate students and destroy the higher education system of this country,” said DU AISA president Kawalpreet Kaur, adding that the ABVP looked down upon free thinking.
