Torchlight ‘victory march’ in JNU campus, with sweets, songs

Celebrations erupted in the JNU campus after students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar was granted interim bail in the sedition case on Wednesday. Students and teachers in the varsity hugged each other, distributed sweets and celebrated the decision by singing songs and taking out a torchlight “victory march” amid chants of “azaadi.”

They marched from Sabarmati Dhaba, the venue of the controversial February 9 event, to the administration block, the venue of protests. “I have been leading this protest against crackdown on students and branding of university as anti-national and I am glad that comrade Kanhaiya will be back and lead the movement from now on,” JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid Shora said.

JNU Teachers’ Association general secretary Bikramaditya Choudhary said, “It is a relief to see one of the students being granted bail. Our fight will now continue until the sedition charges are dropped and other two students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhatt-acharya, are back too.”

The celebrations were first held outside Parliament Street police station where students were camping after being refused permission to march to Parliament by the police.

Earlier in the day, students, teachers and activists from across the city marched from Mandi House to Parliament Street to protest against the arrests of Mr Kumar and the two other students for sedition. They continuously shouted “azaadi” and “lal salaam” throughout the protest march.

The protesters also shouted slogans like “Comrade Kanhaiya ko Lal Salaam” and sang Independence-era patriotic song Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna.

Former JNU students’ union president Lenin said, “This will give our movement against the government an unprecedented strength and our faith will be reinforced that truth wins. They tried their best to establish him as a terrorist but could not find a single evidence against him despite their intensive investigation for 18 days.”

“It is biggest win of democracy and now we will fight against sedition charges for which Kanh-aiya and two other students have been arrested. This is just ridiculous that students have been slapped with sedition charges,” said JNU research scholar Arun Oraon.

The government wants to muzzle our voice. But we will fight for our rights,” said JNU research scholar Arun Oraon.

JNUSU general secretary Rama Naga, also an accused in sedition case, alleged that he along with seven others had been debarred from academic activities without a hearing. “After the February 9 event, the JNU administration has constituted a high-level committee. Going against the principle of natural justice, the committee debarred eight students from academic activities without hearing us,” he said.

Addressing protesters at Parliament Street, Mr Khalid’s father S.Q.R. Ilyas said, “These people fear you (JNU students) because you think. These are attempts to prevent us from freethinking. Our nationalism is one which teaches love for fellow human beings.”

Former journalist Vishwa Deepak, who resigned from a news channel over handling of allegedly tampered video, received loudest cheers from the crowd. “My resignation was against an attempt to malign JNU without any concrete evidence,” he said.

Former ABVP member Pradeep Narwal raised slogans of “azaadi” and said he rejects the idea of nationalism that talks about inclusive society.

Rohith Vemula’s mother also participated in the protest, but did not address the protesters due her illness. CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat also addressed the gathering and said that the students have been falsely booked on sedition charges. She demanded that the colonial-era sedition law should be repealed.

JNUSU joint secretary Saurabh Kumar Sharma, an ABVP member, protested against the celebrations. “The case is still going on and he has also been instructed by the judiciary to cooperate with the police in the investigation. We have full faith in our judiciary and our Constitution. This is not a victory for the Left, but it is a normal legal procedure,” added Mr Sharma.