‘The government is simply playing with the students’ careers’

KOLKATA: A day after Jawaharlal Nehru University punished Phd scholar Anirban Bhattacharya and ex-students Banojyotsna Lahiri and Drupadi Ghosh on Monday, many came down heavily against the ‘farcical’ enquiry that led to the punishment of these students from Kolkata. According to them, the punishment smacks of a “vindictive” attitude of the government opposed to free thinking.
Speaking to TOI from their South Kolkata residence, Banojyotsna’s mother Dipti said, “No logical individual will support such a punishment.It’s easy to understand the motive behind trying to tarnish the image of good institutions.” A student of Gokhale Memorial Girls’ School, Banojyotsna had completed her graduation from Presidency before going on to do her masters, MPhil and Phd from JNU. Now, she teaches at Ambedkar University. Insisting that she is aware of what this government is capable of doing, Dipti said, “They have circulated fake videos and now they want to arm-twist. My daughter wasn’t even present at the said event! There was a time when I had even contemplated filing a defamation suit against a section of the media out to tarnish my daughter’s image.”
JNU Phd student Abdul Matin has also hit out at the ‘authoritarian’ approach of JNU’s vice chancellor. Currently in Park Circus for field research, Abdul had done his graduation in international relations from Jadavpur University before moving on to study in JNU. “We have all done campus politics together. Irrespective of our ideological differences, I feel their punishment is absurd. I’m planning to meet students of JU to organise a protest march in the city,” Abdul said.
Theatre personality Joyraj Bhattacharya, who had gone to New Delhi to stage the play ‘PraatohKritya’, ‘strongly condemned’ the punishment. “Anirban and Banojyotsna had come for our play. Anirban has every right to show his agitation against the government. Even, if Anirban thinks the Indian government is taking wrong steps about Pakistan regarding Kashmir, he should have the space to raise his voice. Now this BJP government is so stupid and power hungry that they can’t give this democratic space,” Joyraj said.
Banojyotsna was a batchmate of actor Daminee Basu when they graduated from Presidency College in 2004. Calling the punishment as ‘most ridiculous’, Daminee said, “There is a witch-hunt going on. We need to stand against this rise of fascism. These people are trying to stop others from thinking.” Referring to Brecht’s play ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’, Daminee said that the need of the hour is to “combat such actions with resistance”.
Documentary film-maker Soumitra Dastidar describes this punishment as an indication of the government’s ‘vindictive’ attitude towards these students. He questioned why the authorities had rusticated Anirban till July 15. “He has also been given nine days to submit his PhD thesis, followed by a five-year bar on entering the campus from July 25. Anyone found giving shelter to Anibran in campus during the next five years shall invite disciplinary actions too! Why should Banojyotsna not be allowed to enter JNU for five years?” Soumitra wondered.
There is a method in what has happened to students protesting saffronisation of education in Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad. Acceptting this punishment means admitting that these students are anti-nationals. I live in Lake Town while Anirban is from Nager Bazar. It’s painful to note that Anirban has been punished this way,” Soumitra said.
Early this month, Soumitra had attended an anti-fascist convention in Delhi and had gone to JNU too. “The government is simply playing with the students’ careers,” Soumitra said.