Mumbai: On January 22, as right-leaning students at the International Institute for Population Studies (IIPS) in Mumbai organised themselves to celebrate the consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on campus, many Bahujan students feared the frenzy could cause communal tension. As a result, a letter seeking the institute’s immediate intervention in restoring peace on campus was submitted to IIPS direct S.K. Singh. The letter, submitted on January 20, was confidential and around 35 students had signed it.
The institute failed to intervene. And worse still, the names of students who had signed the letter was made public. One masters student, who was instrumental in getting students together to sign the protest letter, was arrested.
A 23-year-old student belonging to a Dalit community from Latur district was arrested on January 22. He was arrested after a senior student filed an FIR against him for putting out a status on WhatsApp against the frenzy created all around on the consecration day. In the post, the student took a critical take against the celebration. It was a copied post from another fellow student. In fact, many students had put out social media statuses in protest of the ongoing celebrations on the IIPS campus. But only one student was singled out and arrested.
Some students that The Wire spoke to say that the post was a mere excuse. “The said student would have become a target anyway. Many students and even the administration were not happy with the student and his friends’ endeavour of organising students against the Ram Mandir celebration,” said one of the students, who too had signed the letter sent to the director.
In the letter, the students wrote: “IIPS is a multicultural campus annually organising various celebrations which includes Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, Christmas, etc which epitomises the promise of grooming a secular young generation who can contribute prosperity to a diversified nation-state like India. But the celebration of Ram temple consecration is a pure act of political agenda orchestrated by the various outfits, which can harm the secular sentiments of students while celebrating in an institute like IIPS, where such celebrations cannot be done.” In the letter, the students sought restrictions on celebrations on campus and said the celebration had the potential of “further deepening the divisions among student fraternity by spreading hate and fear”.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here .