BENGALURU: Criticising the vandalism by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at Azim Premji University in Bengaluru on Tuesday, and their slogans terming students “anti-national”, educationists and activists have backed college and university campuses as democratic spaces to hold discussions that are progressive and can help build intellectuals, scholars and researchers who can drive the country’s growth in future.
Rajshekar VN, vice-president of the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), said, “A majority of students who step into degree colleges are voters and will definitely have political opinions. Not just in India but across the world, student activism has helped in reforming society and the growth of the country. For instance, the American student movement in the 1960s against racial injustice, and Vietnam war gained widespread momentum. Debates and discussions in universities and colleges on topics concerning the nation and world are the soul of society.”
Explaining how students in Bengaluru played a vital role during the freedom movement, he said, “Central College students who participated in the Quit India Movement in Bengaluru were martyred near Mysore Bank Circle. A stone column that exists even today was erected in their honour.
There are several examples like Presidency College in Calcutta which became a citadel for freedom movements. In this instance, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad vandalised APU even before the event took place, which they shouldn’t have done. It is totally wrong. If they have a different point of view, they could have also arranged seminars and discussions around the same topic and exercised freedom of expression.”
Developmental educationist Dr Niranjanaradhya said, “College campuses are democratic spaces and have all right to debate issues of national concern, contemporary issues and more. Freedom of association and expression is a fundamental right. Groups like ABVP doesn’t have the right or freedom to trespass campuses and attack students for having discussions. Irrespective of the ideology of students, issues continue to hamper the growth of the country. If students don’t speak or discuss, then who will?”
He also warned that such incidents of vandalism and physical attacks are dangerous to society, as it gives no place for healthy discussions.
“Individuals and institutions become wary, and avoid holding such events in public places or colleges. Organisations like ABVP and others might attack these individuals even outside campus. This is what happened with people like MM Kalburgi, Gauri Lankesh and others.”