Teachers of Lady Shri Ram College have come out in support of their student Gurmehar Kaur, who became the target of trolling and attacks from public personalities for her social media posts last week.
Ms. Kaur, the daughter of a Kargil War martyr, received online threats for starting a social media campaign on freedom of speech at Delhi University and for old posts about peace between India and Pakistan.
Reacting to the controversy surrounding their student, the faculty of the English Department of LSR said via a Facebook post on Monday that they supported Ms. Kaur “unequivocally”.
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Taking a stand
The post, which was originally written by Associate Professor Mitali Mishra and shared widely on social media on Tuesday, went on to say that Ms. Kaur had the right to “express her opinion on issues that embroil our university”.
“It is immensely gratifying to us as her teachers that she has responded sensitively, creatively and bravely to events in her immediate context rather than seek the safe refuge of silence,” the teachers wrote.
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They added that they were “proud” that Ms. Kaur had fulfilled her duty as a young citizen. The statement went on to condemn the threats she had received.
“Responses on social media by public figures such as Virender Sehwag and Randeep Hooda are shameful trivialisation of the intimidation that she faces at the hands of violent mobs whose viciousness the university has recently witnessed,” the teachers wrote.
Appeal to public
The statement ended with the teachers appealing to the public and authorities to protect the right of citizens to “think and articulate without the fear of intimidation”. Among the teachers who endorsed the statement were Rita Joshi, Madhu Grover, Rukshana Shroff, Arti Minocha, Maya Joshi, Shernaz Cama, Arunima Ray, Dipti Nath, Maitreyee Mandal and Janet Lalawmpuii, among others.