The government seems to be displaying a zero tolerance attitude towards political activism among students.
This is a worrying sign, as suppressing peaceful dissent might lead to the build of political stress that might seek a violent vent.
What are some of the significant incidences?
In July, two girls from Allahabad University waved black flags in front of BJP president Amit Shah’s convoy to express dissent.
But the response from the government was brutal, it slapped cases agaisnt them on charges of rioting and disturbing peace.
Further, the girls were also dragged by their hair and beaten up by a mob of party workers who have gone scout free till now.
This is not a one off case, and previous year, another student had to spend a year in jail for having waved black flags against the UP CM.
What are the pertinent points that are to be noted here?
The symbolism of black flags, and the profile of the dissenter (not politically connected students), are two very significant things in the above cases.
Black Flags - Waving a black flag is perhaps the most innocuous form of non-violent protest, and is far less potent than a dharna or a public rally.
It doesn’t involve the narrative build-up of a rousing speech — all of which are legitimate means of protest protected under the Indian Constitution.
Dharna’s and rallies are collective expressions of dissent, requiring resources and coordination among a good number of like-minded people.
Contrarily, waving a black flag requires nothing more than a piece of black cloth or a rag and could even be an individualistic dissent against the state.
Further, unlike a hunger strike, waving a black flag doesn’t even need publicity from the mass media to build pressure in favour of the demands.
All that is needed is for a few others — fellow citizens, onlookers — to witness the few seconds of the gesture, and it is done.
But today even this modest symbolic protest seems intolerable to the public servants of a country that prides itself on being a democracy.
Students - As the students who protests were acting on their own with little connections, they are bound to be vulnerable.
One of the students has alleged that she was denied admissions to a PG course because of government’s pressure to block her prospects.
Police cases and jail time, in addition to being academically disruptive, are bound to damage a young student’s career prospects.
This is a steep price to pay and might damage our polity in the long run by nipping off potential leaders in the bud.
