Denied entry at JNU event, say northeastern students

NEW DELHI: Three BJP chief ministers from northeastern states batted for right-wing students organisation ABVP on Tuesday evening.
Chief ministers Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam), Pema Khandu (Arunachal Pradesh) and N Biren Singh (Manipur) were at Jawaharlal Nehru University to attend a talk series named ‘Ishan Uday—Bridging the Heart’. There, they spoke on the developmental work undertaken in the region by the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But the event was mired in controversy with several students from various parts of the NE region alleging that they were denied entry.

While escorting the CMs to the hostel mess, ABVP members shouted slogans like “Bangladeshi ghuspethiye murdabad” and “Indian Army zindabad” with many students from the northeast standing around holding placards that mentioned Assam floods, “communalisation” of NRC draft, “saffronisation” of education and demanded rollback of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Srijani Bhaswa Mahanta, who is doing her master’s in politics with international studies and is from Assam, said she was denied entry by ABVP. “It was a good opportunity for us to meet our CMs and talk to them about the issues. But we were not allowed to meet them. We only stood at the hostel entrance with placards and did not even raise any slogans against them. But the ABVP called us Bangladeshi sympathisers and Naxalites,” Mahanta said.

Another student at the venue alleged that ABVP members also tore apart pamphlets and placards of the protesting students.

ABVP denied the allegations. Its member Nidhi Tripathi said there was no space to accommodate all students.

But ABVP members were seen telling security guards and students that they couldn’t be allowed entry as they were carrying placards.

The visiting CMs extolled the virtues of a united India. “Though we are from different states, we are Indians and should stay together,” said the Manipur CM.

CM Pema Khandu said before 2014, NE was a neglected area. “Significant development has taken place now. The PM has told all MPs to tour NE and solve the issues there and then,” Khandu said.

Assam CM Sonowal congratulated the students for studying in JNU “which is the best campus in the world for it has students from all over the country”. On NRC, he said, “The purpose is to give security to the real Indians and to finish the illegal immigrants. It is the youth who have to take the country forward. Youth has massive energy and you should use it well.”

The Assam CM also praised the PM for his Act East Policy.

The NE students who were unhappy with the event called for a general body meeting later and gave a call for a silent protest march on Wednesday. They demanded a written apology from ABVP for misbehaving with them.

Former UPA minister P Chidambaram was also invited for a separate talk on ‘Myth of development under the Modi regime’ by NSUI.

The Left groups called it a “blatant display of power” for calling in serving chief ministers and former Union ministers to campaign on campus.