The tension between BJP and TMC in West Bengal was one of the central attractions this election season. This escalated when Amit Shah had his rally and roadshow on May 14 and BJP’s posters were removed before his rally. The scene witnessed a violent outrage in which Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s statue was demolished. Even the most apolitical Bengalis were upset by this.
Speaking at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau, Modi blamed TMC workers for the ‘hooliganism’ at Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata and pledged to install a grand statue of Vidyasagar at the same spot soon. Mamata hit back, turning down his offer to rebuild the statue saying, “Why should we take their money? Bengal has enough.”
The rift between the BJP and TMC, the polarisation of votes, the violence, all had students in common. University spaces are being vandalised by goons from all political backgrounds and those who suffer are students. The shattered bust of Vidyasagar was not kept in the open, but inside the college premises. This only points out at the dangers lurking around campus spaces and how students are presented as scapegoats in communal politics.
Even though the students held a peaceful protest against the hooliganism, one is forced to question the repetitive tale of attacks on colleges and campus spaces. Some people attribute the increasing violence to student politics, but campuses are meant to be spaces for intellectual discussions, debates, peaceful protests and not violence. Students are the hope of this country and it’s imperative for them to be able to access politics.
The most crucial point to notice in cases of campus violence is that it is a systematic process to curb the voices of intellectuals, students and teachers. Every institute that questions mainstream or popular ideology is attacked.
With the increasing rate of violence in the country, one is forced to ask: how safe are these spaces of dissent and democracy? Can we actually trust our authorities to provide quality education, opportunities and the freedom to voice our opinions?