North East Students' Forum, JNU, rejects racist dossier

4 May 2016

North East Students' Forum, JNU, protest against racist dossier at JNU, Delhi on 4th May 2016

North East Students' Forum, JNU, Delhi outrightly rejects the racist dossier that recently appeared in the public domain. It is reported that some of the teachers from JNU are involved in preparing this baseless and racists dossier. The dossier writes:

"Over 300 Kashmiri and North-East separatist activists are staying illegally in the hostels of JNU. They are the main force behind organizing anti-India activities, protest demonstrations, talks and lectures by separatist leaders in the JNU campus.

Beef eating festival, Mahishaswar Diwas and Hate Hindu campaigns are the regular feature in hostel activities and various seminars/lectures organized by known anti-Hindu and anti-Indian elements, North East students, Muslim students and other anti-national elements are in the vanguard of this anti-Hindu movement."

It is outrageous and extremely disappointing that such insensitive statements were made by some teachers of this university which is supposed to stand for social justice, inclusiveness and cultural pluralism. Teachers of universities are expected to be the torch bearers of democratic and secular values, but the allegations made by these teachers in the dossier point to the contrary are serious and deeply maligning in nature to racial and religious minorities of the country. Moreover, these statements which are baseless and unfounded prepare grounds for minority witch hunting.

NESF would like to ask these teachers to clarify on what they mean by anti-national activities and whether holding discussions and debates on self-determination of oppressed nationalities amounts to a criminal offense. Their allegations are clear indications of a blatant attempt to curb the democratic space that universities have.

North East Students' Forum, JNU, protest against racist dossier at JNU, Delhi on 4th May 2016

In accusing other communities and cultures as being anti-Hindu, the attempt to impose a homogenous cultural narrative is evident. Killing and violent attacks on religious and racial minorities citing differences in food habits expose the brutality of this imposition. If non -adherence to majoritarian beliefs and practices makes us anti-Hindu and subsequently anti-India then people of north east are inherently anti-India.

There have been many instances of hostility directed against minority groups based on fanatical beliefs and the release of such a vitriolic document will only instigate further attacks against these groups. The dossier also has discriminatory and demeaning allegations against the Kashmiris, Adivasis, Dalits, female students, female mess workers and security guards in JNU and those who work in beauty parlors in Munirka, majority of whom are from the Northeast.

Libels of this sort defeat the purpose of social inclusion for these communities and creates grounds of their further marginalisation and exclusion. This dossier reeks of patriarchy and reduces the basic dignity of human beings and their worth in society based on their profession.

NESF upholds the right to dissent, right to freedom of speech and expression and right of the oppressed nationalities to determine their own future. NESF strongly condemns the dossier and demand JNU-VC to take strong action against those who wrote this dossier.

NESF organized a protest march on 4th May in JNU demanding strong action against these teachers who are responsible for writing the dossier and in solidarity with JNU Student Union's hunger strike against anti-student university administration. NEFS also burnt a copy of the dossier after the march.

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