Brain Stormer: Another Rape in JNU?

It’s once again a rape case that has rocked the most prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University in the heart of the capital. Anmol Ratan, a former activist of the radical leftist student body, called the All India Students Association (AISA) was caught for allegedly drugging and raping a 28-year old research scholar in his hostel room. Even after the incident, Ratan had threatened the scholar with dire consequences if she tries to divulge the same to anyone. However he has surrendered to the police and is now currently in judicial custody. In the meantime, the pro-active student body of the university-Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) and AISA staged a protest outside the Delhi Police Headquarters against the manner in which the police have handled the case which was reported on August 20. The JNUSU has also demanded action on the police officials who has revealed the identity of the complainant that is supposed to be kept secret.

However, it is the only university campus in India wherein anything and everything is seen from political angles. It has been a long practice in this campus and for a case like this, it will surely take a political colour in the days to come. With JNUSU elections approaching by the year end, the other student organisations in the campus like the ABVP (BJP) and NSUI (Congress) are already mounting protests in the campus highlighting the case of the left student body. It must be said that in the past, the left student bodies and their activists including some of the top media personalities of the country used to storm the campus for anything that comes against either the ABVP or NSUI. Hence it would not be surprising if these two student bodies, particularly the ABVP takes the case to the centre stage of the university student politics or even to the national politics. God forbid, if this would have been done by any member of the ABVP, by now the blame would have come on the very ideology of Hinduism and the left campaign, in all probability could have targeted even the Prime Minister of India also. The JNU administration should immediately take stern action against the culprit and must provide justice to the victim. It is really sad how so-called disciples of liberal and progressive ideologies are committing such heinous crimes who are always there in the forefront as the vanguard of the rights and liberties of women and the underprivileged.