On September 19, 2016, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) Youth Forum for Discussions and Welfare Activities (YFDA) called for a protest demonstration against the government of Gujarat for failing to check the menace of the gau rakshaks in the state. At the venue they burnt an effigy of the state government to condemn the alleged lynching of Mohammad Ayyub by the gau rakshaks in Ahmedabad. About a fortnight later, on October 4, four students—all from the Centre of Political Studies, were slapped a notice from the Proctor’s office asking them to appear before the University Proctor on October 14 to explain their “position in this regard.”

Mohammed Ayyub, a 25-year old man was allegedly beaten by an unidentified group of men on September 13, 2016 for supposedly transporting cows for slaughter. The students had gathered at 9:30 pm and had sloganeered against the “fascist regime” that has been “perpetuating communal tensions in the society in the name of cows.”

The effigy burning program took place at the Sabarmati Dhaba, one of the iconic sites for protests and gatherings in JNU. Some hundred students responded to the call for the protest by YFDA. The organizing group is among the twenty-five active political factions in JNU and came into existence last year to create a public forum for minorities, especially Muslims, as well as to initiate alternative discourses on empowerment and development.

SK Abdul Matin, the convenor of YFDA and a first generation learner in his family, is one of the four students who have been served the notice. Being critical of the administration which he calls “a tool of Sangh parivar,” Matin says: “The administration is clearly hounding the students from marginalized sections. Out of the four students who have been asked to report, one belongs to the OBC community, two are Dalits, and one is a Muslim. We are being attacked for raising our voices, but we shall not stop our war on communalism and Brahminism.”

Rama Naga, former Vice President of JNUSU, is also amongst the four students who have been summoned. The students of JNU have been wary of the growing surveillance in the campus, permissions for public meetings are not granted and if they are, the meetings are recorded; show cause notices are being sent for petty reasons, there are usually no follow-ups on the particular issue. The relations between the administration and the Students’ Union appear to be at its worst especially after the February 9 incident.

Manikanta and T Praveen Kumar, members of Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) have also been summoned to the Proctor’s office for participating in the event. Manikanta and his group had been busy mobilizing students for the Academic Council meeting protest that took place today. Hostel accommodation and introduction of minority-deprivation points are the key demands of the Students’ Union this year and the political parties have been gearing up for a show of strength. Despite his busy schedule, Manikanta made time to speak to the reporter at 1:30 am where he said: “The stifling of the political expression of students, especially from the marginalized sections shall have grave consequences. The way proctorial notices are being issued one after the other is aimed at weakening our movements. The students are being penalized for writing Jai Bheem on the walls, and this should worry all of us.”

The students have not yet decided whether they will report to the Proctor on October 14. Several students and teachers have spoken up against the regressive attitude of the administration and have suggested that the students boycott the meeting with the Proctor. Under the given circumstances it is difficult to predict how the events will shape up in the future.

Voices supporting the idea of “oppressed unity” are slowly gaining ground in JNU. Abdul Matin believes this is because people have realized that it is not “a politics of identity,” as is popularly perceived, but “a politics of dignity.” He ends, “Muslims are getting harassed and we showed our condemnation in the form of a protest, and if we are being sent notices for that, then I believe there is a serious problem with our government and our University. The concept of minority is not about numbers, it is about marginalities, it is about the powerlessness. We will keep protesting against the historical wrongs.”

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