Students, professors admit a ‘pall of intellectual gloom’ has descended on varsity

Even before the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill had become an Act, a group of students at Banaras Hindu University took out a protest march opposing it and the National Register of Citizens on December 10. Since then, they had been organising protests and flashlight marches every third day till December 19, when some of them were arrested and sent to jail for participating in the Beniabagh protest march.

On December 25, altogether 51 professors of the university released a one-page press note condemning the CAA and the NRC as “against the Indian tradition of inclusiveness and the idea of a pluralist democracy”. Soon, the professors were dubbed as “Rohingyas, betrayers and brokers” along side their press note pasted in some departments of the university. They faced abusive onslaught on social media by those “associated with right wing organisations”.

Both the protesting students and the professors admit that a “pall of intellectual gloom and fear has descended on the university campus”.

‘No right to protest’

“When the students of Joint Action Committee stage protests, both the university and the district administration slap charges against them, but when other groups associated with right wing organisations do the same, nothing happens to them. This is strange that we’re not even allowed to express our opinion or exercise the right to peaceful protest on any issue,” Priyesh Pandey of JAC told The Hindu.

On Sunday, Mr. Priyesh and his friends staged a protest on the campus demanding the release of all 56 protesters, including 10 BHU students, sent to jail for the Beniabagh peaceful protest.

Asked about the atmosphere inside the BHU campus, the students said: “It has become brutal; the ABVP [students’ wing of the BJP] members in cahoot with the university and local administration go to any extent to intimidate us and suppress our voice. Despite being an ideological minority, we’ll keep raising our voice against the divisive policies of the university and the country.”

‘Discriminatory Act’

While speaking to The Hindu, some of the professors preferred not to come on record saying they put their signature on the press note in “good faith”, while others admitted their concern over CAA and NRC. “I strongly feel there is something discriminatory in the Act,” said Prof Brinda Pranjape from ancient history department. Professors M.P. Ahirwar, N.K. Mishra and Pratima Gond asserted that they “stand by what they have said in the press note”.

Asked if the atmosphere in BHU has become vitiated, Prof Ahirwar said: “Yes, fear psychosis is prevailing as dissenting voices are being regularly attacked on social media.” “Those who do not conform to their opinion are being targeted as urban naxals and are threatened with administrative actions in the name of central civil services rules as BHU is a central university,” said Prof. Pranjape.