In his post titled ‘A Resolution for the New Decade’, Raghuram Rajan said accusations that the government is suppressing dissent hold ground. (File) In his post titled ‘A Resolution for the New Decade’, Raghuram Rajan said accusations that the government is suppressing dissent hold ground. (File)

Reacting to the violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on January 5, former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan Friday said when elite universities turn into battlegrounds, accusations about government’s attempts at suppressing dissent gain credibility.

“When even elite universities become literal battlegrounds, accusations that the government is attempting to suppress dissent—even if by apathy rather than design—gain substantial credibility,” Rajan wrote in a post on LinkedIn.

In his post titled ‘A Resolution for the New Decade’, Rajan also said neither “government-appointed administration” nor the police intervened during the violence at the university, where around 100 people ran riot inside the campus, injuring 36 students, teachers and staff.

“They went on a rampage for hours, attacking students and faculty, entirely undisturbed by the police. While the identities of the attackers remain unclear, what is clear is that many of the attacked were activists, and neither the government-appointed administration nor the police intervened,” Rajan said.

Referring to the ongoing protests against the amended Citizenship Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), the former RBI Governor said, “When young people of diverse faiths march together, Hindus and Muslims arm-in-arm behind our national flag, rejecting artificial divides stoked by political leaders for their own gain, they show that the spirit of our Constitution still burns brightly.”

The January 5 attack in JNU has triggered mass protests across the country against the police inaction to control the situation. At least 36 people, including students, teachers and campus staff, were injured in the attack. Among those injured were 22 students, including JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, two teachers and two guards, who have been admitted to AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital.

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