Twenty days after the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmad has disappeared from the campus, on November 06, an All-India strike was called at the India Gate, New Delhi to ensure authorities bring back the missing student and do justice to his family –particularly Najeeb’s mother and sister, who are protesting since last twenty days in the JNU campus.
The government who never ever heard people’s plea is now not even letting people plea! The protest at India Gate was dealt in such a way by the Delhi Police that punctures the nation’s Idea of India to its roots. Firstly the students of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia University were not allowed to reach the protest spot as the Delhi Police blocked all the roads that lead to India Gate and their buses were detained.
Things have changed a lot in these twenty days since Najeeb’s disappearance. The government then, was not ready to hear. The government today is not letting us speak. It is India and its democracy that is being dragged and beaten up by the government, trying to impose their version of India unto our India. Najeeb’s mother represent today’s India. She is weak, broken, uncomfortable and in pain.
“Black day for Indian democracy. Delhi police blocked all the roads to India Gate. Buses with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) students were forcefully detained. Some JMI students told me that they were beaten up by the police near Chidiya Ghar. Many other students were detained in different police stations across Delhi. Delhi Police forcefully captured two buses (No. 615) coming from JNU and detained all the peaceful protesters from JNU coming to join India Gate”, said JNU student and activist Shamim Ahmad.
“I was coming in one 615 bus with my JNU friends, when the police forcefully captured the bus I became undecided and somehow got down the bus and started walking towards India Gate. The police seeing me with camera on the way asked me for and saw my [JNU] ID and detained me in a police van and interrogated me near Khan Market area. After half an hour they left me there inhumanly. I tried to connect with my friends to know their location but couldn’t connect. Then I went to India gate by walking but found no one of my friends there. The police forcefully made all unable to join India Gate”. “A democracy can’t sustain long if the state power forcefully and violently crushes people’s protest via democratic means”, he later added.
Later, at the protest spot, Delhi police misbehaved dragged and detained Najeeb’s mother and sister. The picture of police dragging Najeeb’s mother is viral on social media. Two female police-officers are dragging Najeeb’s mother by her shoulder and she’s crying in pain while lying on the road is what that can be seen in the picture.
Video Courtesy: Anya Shankar (Indian Express)
This picture is not the one people should upload as their profile-picture on Facebook for other people to comment ‘RIP Democracy’ on it. Neither, people should see the picture as Najeeb’s mother being dragged and beaten up by police officers. It is far more than that.
It is India and its democracy that is being dragged and beaten up by the government, trying to impose their version of India unto our India. Najeeb’s mother represent today’s India. She is weak, broken, uncomfortable and in pain. Likewise India –as a nation is weak, broken, and uncomfortable and is in pain; while Najeeb represents India’s future. Lost in dark –of no clue anyone has, is Najeeb and India’s future as well.
It is true that Najeeb was targeted because he came from a particular community or religion, and has been disappeared for the same reasons. But today, if Najeeb is still missing, is not because of his religion or if Najeeb’s mother was being dragged and detained because of her religion, is not true.
Things have changed a lot in these twenty days since Najeeb’s disappearance. The government then, was not ready to hear. The government today is not letting us speak. It is a dangerous time for India and perhaps the term ‘undeclared emergency’ might prove more grave and worse than that declared emergency in India Gandhi’s regime.
The narrative of today’s political dynamics being imposed by the government poses a serious threat to India’s idea of a nation. How openly the government is playing with the constitution is surprising and that ‘India-as a country’ is failing to save this attack on constitution is even more surprising and not a good sign for India’s future.
This is EMERGENCY –and we call it an ‘undeclared’ one, perhaps is waiting to be declared.
