STUDENTS' FEDERATION OF INDIA

Friday, November 23, 2007

Pamphlet dated 22nd Nov, '07

Friends,

The Left and democratic movements in our country have always sought to mobilize the people to advance the people’s interests by resisting the anti-people policies through unity of all the progressive sections against imperialism and to maintain secularism and social justice. In this endeavour, the student movement plays a very important role, which has led from the front to thwart the agenda of communalization and commercialization of education along with waging numerous struggles to achieve various pertinent demands of the student community. However, today the student movement in our country is faced with tough challenges. On the one hand, the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations on student union elections has posed serious hurdles in the path of the student movement, thereby impeding the autonomous functioning of student bodies. On the other hand, there is the question of campus violence wherein the role of right-wing organizations like the ABVP and NSUI has been to impede the path of genuine democratic struggles waged by the students by indulging in the politics of money and muscle. As witnessed in the case of the killing of Prof. Sabharwal in Ujjain or the recent killing of ASI Elias in Changanassery in Kerala, the ABVP has tried to use violence as their agenda. Even in our own campus, the ABVP had repeatedly indulged in lumpenism and violence, whether it during the visit of Ashok Singhal in 2002, SAR Geelani in 2004 or the violence during last Presidential Debate. The attack on a minority student in Lohit hostel by the ABVP lumpen Sudhanshu is also part of the gameplan of these lumpen elements to impose their communal agenda in the campus. However, the JNU students have time and again thoroughly defeated these forces. We request the JNUSU to initiate a struggle to ensure that the lumpen elements involved in violence in Lohit as well as during the Presidential Debate are given strict punishments. In the course of the struggles by the student movement, numerous sacrifices have also been made. This is best exemplified by the life of Comrade Simon Britto. Comrade Simon Britto Rodrigues is a veteran SFI leader in Kerala, and is now a nominated member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. He was a leading face in the student activism of the State, participating in numerous struggles. In 1983, when he was SFI State Vice-President, he was attacked and stabbed by KSU-Congress(I) goons. So bloody was the attack that he had to spend 3 months bed-ridden leaving his body was paralyzed spine down. The doctors had given up hopes on him. But by sheer courage and determination, he got back to life, thereby earning the title of “Living Martyr”. Despite having to move in a wheel chair, he worked tirelessly for the CPI (M) and even campaigned extensively during the Assembly elections in April-May 2006. We appeal to the students to attend the public meeting tonight in large numbers to listen to his experiences and to discuss the larger question of Campus Violence & Democratic Rights.

Public Talk on

CAMPUS VIOLENCE & DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS

Speaker: Comrade Simon Britto, Former SFI Kerala State Vice-President & Hon'ble Member (Nominated), Kerala Assembly.

22/11/07 (Tonight)

Sutlej Mess

9.15 pm

Sd/- Roshan, President, SFI-JNU.

Sd/- Rajiv Kr Ranjan, Secretary, SFI-JNU.