The North East Students’ Union (Neso) and its constituent, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on Tuesday said they would hoist black flags at public places and educational institutions across the region on Wednesday and Thursday in protest against Sunday’s “barbaric” attack on the students and faculty of Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The organisations also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah the reason for their “silence” on the attack.
Making the announcement at a joint news conference in New Delhi, Samujjal K. Bhattacharjya, adviser to both AASU and Neso, said, “We condemn the barbaric attack on JNU students. Delhi’s law and order is with the Centre. The Prime Minister and the Union home minister are silent even today despite the attack on both boys’ and girls’ hostels. Otherwise, they are seen reacting immediately to an incident. Where is the government? The government failed to protect the students of the university.”
The organisations demanded protection of the JNU students and action against the culprits. “In protest against the attack, we will hoist black flags in every public place and educational institutions across the Northeast,” Bhattacharjya said.
The statement came a day after around 200 students staged a two-hour sit-in in front of Cotton University here and took out a rally in protest against the JNU violence, which left at least 40 students and staff injured, including a few from Assam.
On Monday, AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi had tweeted, “The students’ community of Assam stands in solidarity with @JNUSU and #JNUTA in their fight for justice. #JNUViolence #JNUattack.”
The Gauhati University Teachers’ Association, Post-Graduate Students’ Union and University Law College Students’ Union, who had issued a joint statement on Monday to express their solidarity with the students and faculty of JNU, staged a three-hour sit-in on GU campus here on Tuesday.
In Guwahati, the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) “strongly” condemned the incident and demanded “exemplary” action against the culprits.
“The attack is appalling and shameful. The incident has lowered the image of the country before the world. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully and democratically. The injustice and torture on the innocent students in JNU cannot be accepted under any circumstances. We strongly condemn the incident. The culprits should be arrested immediately and given exemplary punishment,” AIUDF chief and MP Badruddin Ajmal said.
The PCC alleged that hired goons of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had unleashed vandalism on the JNU students.
“This top institution (JNU) of the country gives special concession to poor students studying there. But the Centre has increased students’ fees excessively, destroying the academic atmosphere. Hired goons of the ABVP entered the university, beat students and vandalised property. We demand stringent action against the culprits,” PCC media cell chairman Bhagirath Karan said.
The JNU Students’ Union has been agitating against steep hostel fee hike, which has stalled normal activities in the university.