Bangalore’s Jyoti Niwas College Students Stand Up To Being Heckled By CAA Supporters

After JNU, students of Jyoti Niwas College in Bangalore were threatened by BJP supporters. A video of the incident went viral on Twitter. Here is what happened.

Threatening students, forcing them to support the hegemony sadly has become the reality of our country. But we won’t keep quiet any more. Voices emerging from JNU Delhi to Jyoti Niwas College Bangalore are the proof of this revolution.

The Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by Parliament last week. It is arguably the most divisive and polarising legislation in the history of India. The Act divided the country into two – those in support and those against.

Protests against the law have been suppressed. Students are beaten up for speaking against the law at universities like Jamia and JNU. The CAA supporters are using social media to get people to support CAA. They are filling the discussion with illogical statements to justify this brutality, misuse of power and suppress the voice of dissent.

Recently, one such incident happened in the Jyoti Niwas College, Bangalore whose video is going viral on social media.

Threatening students the new norm of democracy?

In the video, some men are seen fighting with the students of the college. All this simply because the men wanted to stick a poster supporting CAA on the college wall. The students, obviously, opposed that.

According to a report published in TNM, this issue broke out at around 3 pm on Wednesday. After a group of BJP workers stuck a pro-CAA banner on the college’s wall.

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The banner had the pictures of PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya. A bunch of students objected to the banner on the college wall. The BJP workers insisted that the students and pedestrians sign the banner irrespective of their objections.

Students are also alleging that the BJP Yuva Morcha workers called them“uneducated” and “anti-nationals.” They were even told to “Go to Pakistan” if they didn’t support CAA.

This entire scenario again raises the question that is democracy about the misuse of power to suppress any voice of dissent? Do we get our countrymen educated so that they can be later suppressed? Why is it easier for men in power to misuse it on innocent women and students?

We won’t be rattled anymore

In the video, it can be seen that the man is telling the students “You are not concerned about citizenship, you are concerned about yourself… you are not Indians.” He then goes on to say that the students don’t own the college. Hence have no right to stop him.

It can be clearly seen how the men shout menacingly at the girls as they refuse to back down and tell the men to remove the banner. The girls are seen repeatedly asking the men to lower their volume and stop shouting. Finally after some time the Police make the men leave.

This is not the first time that CAA supporters have tried to use power to suppress the voice of dissent. In the past few days, protests turning violent, police brutality and killing of protesters have become the reality of our country.

On one hand, we see this strong voice of dissent emerging in the country. And on the other, we see the ruling party giving false statements and blaming everything on the opposition. In the midst of all of this, one thing that happens is that democracy is threatened.

A lot of time, people think that it’s just easier to target women and students. It’s just easier to use violence on them and suppress them and their voices. But now it’s time that we understand that we won’t be rattled anymore by these cheap tactics.

The battle against CAA is the fight for the principles of our constitution, for our fundamental right and for humanity and we all are together in this.

Picture credits: Twitter. 

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