New Delhi
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has strongly condemned the police action against JNU students who were marching to Parliament in protest against the recent fee hike proposed by the university administration.
“This is not the way to deal with a democratic protest. The police deployment is much larger than deployment during Emergency days. This is Modi’s emergency. We strongly condemn it,” Mr Yechury said at a press conference here on Monday. He was the JNU students’ union president during the Emergency days.
“Peaceful demonstration is an elementary right in a democratic society. This shows extreme authoritarianism by Modi government,” he added.
He said that on many occasions during his tenure as JNUSU president, student marches had gone till Parliament gates. There was no violence. Not even a single stone was thrown, he said. “Police is in fact trying to provoke. The students have shown restraint in the face of such provocation,” he added.
