Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a citadel of social activism and never fails to register its voice whenever and wherever any human life or liberty is under threat. This is what I believed till four years ago. This is what thousands, rather lakhs, of people still believe.
And, why shouldn’t JNU claim this glory when we have seen its students raising their voices against the tyranny of the Emergency days, violence against Dalits in Maharashtra, Bihar and U.P, anti-Muslim violence at different places, mob lynching, Nirbhaya etc?
JNU has always been admired for standing up against the powerful for the rights of the people completely unknown to Delhi-based students. After all, why should someone in Delhi bother for Adivasis in Chhattisgarh? But JNU raised its voice for all such people.
When my brother, Sharjeel Imam, was arrested four years ago I had similar expectations from JNU. He was a PhD scholar at JNU. A student of the Centre for Historical Studies (CHS), one of the most vocal centers of the university against human rights violations. Since then, JNU has disappointed me the most. Today our social media is full of JNU students celebrating JNU convocation. Scholars have shared photographs with their PhDs proudly telling everyone about the hard work they had done.
I am happy for them. I wish them luck for the future. But, while doing a Hindi song from the movie LOC: Kargil echoes in my head. Written by Javed Akhtar, the song says, “Sathi mubarak tumhe, Ye jashn ho jeet ka, Bas itna yaad rahe, ek sathi aur bhi tha” (O friend I congratulate you on this party of victory, Just keep this in mind, That you had another friend).
I wonder no one. Nobody to my knowledge has publicly pointed out that if Sharjeel Imam wasn’t in jail, he would have received a degree at this convocation.
I have seen a famous photograph of Sitaram Yechury demanding the resignation of Indira Gandhi from the post of JNU’s chancellor while standing valiantly in front of one of the strongest leaders India produced in the 20th century. More than 4 decades later, JNU students accepted their degrees without even a single public remembrance of Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid. The University which did not fail to raise its voice for people living hundreds or thousands kilometres away is silent on its own people.
Those who had attended lectures with Sharjeel Imam, dined with him and Umar Khalid, joked with them, argued with them and shared space with them had not remembered Umar and Sharjeel even once.
I would have been satisfied if even a single person with their awarded degree had written on social media that they missed Umar and Sharjeel and festivities would have been complete if they had also received their degrees at the event.
My brother Sharjeel won’t crib like I am doing. I know that in his signature style, he will just say, “Arey miyaan khushi me bhang na daalo. PhD mehnat se hoti hai” (oh dear don’t spoil the festivities. PhD is a hard-earned degree).
Still, I hope that his colleagues would have remembered him while receiving their own degrees.
JNU by not standing for the people like Sharjeel and Umar has lost the credibility it once had.
Best of luck to everyone who has received a degree at the convocation.