By Sandeep Singh
GANDHINAGAR: Under the new political regime, the state apparatus is responding quite disgraceful and undemocratic manner especially with student community in higher educational institutions.
Everywhere, the autocratic form of repression against student community is going on, all across campuses in India. This style of skeptical attitude has been crafted a type of atmosphere, where the constitutional rights of each individual have been curtailed in almost campuses of the public institution.
After the opening of the new academic session, the recent tyranny, especially in Lucknow University is pretty disdainful and disgusting.
And, it was a disappointing moment for the whole student community, where the newly appointed fascist and pro-capitalist vice-chancellor has been taken the decision to hike hostel feel up to 8 times and increasing mess fee up to 30-40 percent without providing any prior information or, any official confirmation before opening of the new session.
In those circumstances, all socio-politically conscious students, who had affiliation different organizations and ideologies are resisting against Lucknow University administration with uncompromising manner.
And within three working days, the pro-establishment administration came under pressure and withdrawn their ‘Tuglaki Farmaan’. The other important factor was also for withdrawn of the decision as a result of an own administrative mistake.
In other instances, the Lucknow University administration is not stopped here only, but deliberately doesn’t provide the hostel facility to so many newly enrolled students, in the name of maintenance of the hostel.
Few prominent hostels like Acharya Narendra Dev Hostel (popularly known as ND Hostel) are being permanently shut down. The student movement is still going on until today against the University administration in favor of student interest. The few demands were accepted and most of them were ignored.
But, inappropriately, in the name of law & order, Lucknow University administration tactically lodged F.I.R. against student activist under criminal offense and approximately two dozen has been suspended with immediate effect.
It is not just only the story of Lucknow University, in similar, student suspension has been done in others reputed public funded universities like Allahabad University, JNU, HCU, Jadhavpur University, Himanchal University and so many other institutions of this country in recent few years. Already so many people among us already remember about the recent brutality and crackdown against fee hike in Punjab.
Such kinds of intimidation carry out a hidden and well- planned conspiracy to dismantle the democratic and free thinking existence of varsity campuses.
Where the pro-establishment elements of administration have been consistently taking various repressive measure to restrain the dissent and discontent as well as free space for the debate and discussion.
Firstly, they have started to propagate in the name of academic discipline and improve the quality education to provide better facility to the students. Unfortunately, it’s just are a camouflage.
These people have nothing to do with it. By in large, the foundation of the higher educational institution for learning is being turned into the profit making machinery and, its goal has been achieved through gradually privatize the whole education system.
In such circumstances, the so-called pro-establishment administration is taking the tactical step to hike the fee structure in each single facilities provided by the university, which is facilitated by the government under welfare policy of the state.
The pro-establishment administration has been clear cut agenda to stop the entry of marginal community student (especially SC, ST, OBCs, and minorities). Because, in last two or three years, the socio-political assertion from the student community is reasonably resilient and aggressive to counter the ruling establishment against their anti-people policies.
These marginal section students having inherent nature of the sense of repulsion towards establishment due to their dissatisfaction and struggled each phase of their earlier life against unjust and exploitation.
By in large, when these people enter such institutions gradually understand the nature, purpose, and characteristics of their exploitation, suppression, and reality of state functioning. Then automatically started to question under the ambit of their constitutional and democratic rights.
In another instance, whenever any student gets admission from the self-financed or through paid seat categorically those students belongs from elite and wealthy family background and then administration understand, here, it is comparatively fewer possibilities of resistance. In certain situation, the pro-establishment administration feels relaxed due to the existence of less intensifying resistance voices.
Secondly, the massive seat cut in research programme especially M.Phil./Ph.D. due to the present ruling establishment of this country itself terrorize from their own socio-politically conscious students, who have been a critical and rational line of thinking. Such forces don’t want to tolerate the educated sensible citizen of this country to questioning their hidden anti-constitutional political agenda and related to their policies and programmes.
They want to create such type of education system, where everyone becomes the blind follower of them. Their strategic purpose of the education is just only producing the skilled labor, not the dynamic leader.
In certain situation, they people started to malign the entire education system which stands for the universal learning as well as the quest for truth and knowledge creation.
Thirdly, at present antagonistic relationship between student and administration is more sharpen and deepen. In such situation, the institution administration appeases only the pro-establishment student voices with similar ideological line and the opposition voices are being tactically crushed with using the various repressive mechanism such as through suspension from the institutions, put heavy fine, create the academic problems, putting unnecessary allegation and harassment, and so many others filthy way.
The natures of suppression have been quite similar every higher educational institution but the intensity of their repression is being different as per the level of political confrontation.
In recent few years, everyone realized that oppression against student community increases many folds. Everywhere student community is being the softly targeted from the pro-establishment administration.
Nowadays, every institution is intimidating with a sense of fear to speak anything in favor student interest or, against the fascist pro-establishment administration. In each campus is vigil under CCTV camera along with under watch the social media sites of students by the administration.
Unfortunately, within the student community, so many self-seeking students are born to be playing a broker role for fulfilling their own personal interest. Their nature, characteristic, and ideology like a rainy frog. Those people have nothing to do with right or wrong and have no stake for any kinds of positive change in the favor student interest.
Therefore, the future of student resistance in campuses has been ruined due to the existence of opportunistic forces in the campus. There have been emerging out a vacuum for dissent and disagreement.
Such thing is being helpful for the pro-establishment administration to crush the each single voice ascended in the favor of student interest. Finally, we can say that it is a horrible phase for the socio-political activism in campuses across the India.
(The writer , Sandeep Singh, is a Doctoral Research Fellow in Communication Strategy & Planning, Central University Of Gujarat, Gandhinagar).
