SFI Pamphlet on Lumpenism by Rajan Pandey

STUDENTS’ FEDERATION OF INDIA
Down with AISA’s Lumpenism!! Unite to maintain JNU’s Democratic Ethos!!

Friends, Date: 04/08/07

Unite against Violence on campus! :

SFI strongly condemns the physical assault on Sumeet Kishore a YFE activist by Rajan Pandey a Joint Secretary of AISA JNU Unit. This incident took place near the admission assistance booth at Ad Block yesterday. Both Rajan and Sumeet were standing at the bus stop to assist new students in their admission process. The incident started with an argument over assisting a new student when Sumeet was pushed by Rajan while trying to take her to the YFE’s admission assistance booth. There was a heated exchange of words and some pushing around between them which was pacified by the other students present at the bus stop. The SAA councilor Ameet Parmeswaran along with some other students tried to take Rajan away from Sumeet to ensure that nothing untoward happens. However after 5-10 minutes when it seemed that things had been resolved Rajan took a stone and hit Sumeet on his head without any kind of provocation.

Rajan has been suspended from the university by the Proctor’s Office and a Proctorial enquiry has been ordered into the incident. We believe that such violent acts are completely antithetical to the democratic culture of JNU. It is all the more shameful because the whole incident took place in front of new students and their parents. JNU is known for its progressive values and the entire exercise of admission assistance is also done in the same spirit where new students are helped in their admission process. The new students who come from different places all across the country get their first exposure to the political culture of JNU in the admission assistance process. However the degeneration which has led to a situation where new students are pounced upon with people fighting with each other and has culminated in this unfortunate incident has lowered the prestige of JNU in front of new students.

Down With AISA’s Political Bankruptcy:

In a most shameless manner the AISA has tried to defend Rajan’s behaviour by making cock and bull stories about the incident. If Sumeet was indulging in any kind of caste abuse then a complaint should have been lodged against him and the entire student community would have ensured that justice was delivered like last year’s case of caste violence in Lohit and Chanrabagha hostel. Indulging in violence for settling political differences has never been a culture of this campus. The student community in this university has always defeated the right wing and casteist elements politically and hitting people with stones has never been a part of left politics in this campus. This exposes the ideologically bankrupt politics of AISA and their complete disrespect for the values this university stands for. JNU is known for its culture of debate and discussions and this is what makes it a politically vibrant campus. However over the last few years AISA activists have been continuously intimidating and provoking students from rival political organizations. This trend has continued in the admission assistance process this year as well. In the 1st phase of admissions another Secretariat member of AISA Ravi had physically and verbally abused Bijay an SFI activist at the Ad Block Bus stop in front of a lot of students. The AISA has not even bothered to reply over that incident. And now they are defending this violent and criminal act by Rajan!

In yesterday’s pamphlet the AISA has also attacked the JNUSU President and Jt Secy for taking a position against this criminal act by Rajan. We strongly condemn this sectarian and unprincipled attack on the JNUSU Office Bearers who have rightly taken a strong position against a serious act of violence. The SFI would like to warn the AISA that the students of this campus would not allow them to take the democratic political culture of this campus on ransom for indulging in such acts repeatedly in the name of left politics. If the radicalism of AISA means threatening and attacking fellow students then we would like to tell them that JNU is not the suitable place for them to carry forward their politics.

Unite in defense of our campus culture! Punish Rajan for his act of violence:

However the SFI would also like to warn the ABVP and other right wing organizations who have tried to attack the entire student movement of this campus on the pretext of yesterday’s incident. The student movement of JNU does not need any lessons from the goons of ABVP on what is the culture of this campus. We would like to make it clear that acts like yesterday’s incident have never been a part of the left student movement in this campus and strict action should be taken against it to ensure that they are not repeated in the future. But this campus has not forgotten the criminal lumpenism of ABVP goons and other reactionary sections, which they have unleashed here. From the case of brutal caste atrocity against a fellow student in Lohit and Chandrabagha hostels last year to repeated cases of sexual harassment and violence by the JPF goons in the Paschimabad area of the campus in the last few years, there is a long history of violence by the ABVP. ABVP has the dubious distinction of indulging in worst form of mob violence in our university which was unleashed during Ashok Singhal’s visit. The students of this campus have always fought against such lumpen and reactionary elements and defeated them politically. We would advise the ABVP to desist from indulging in such attacks against the JNU student movement or else they will get a fitting rebuff from the student community.

The SFI demands that the Proctorial enquiry in this incident be completed as soon as possible and strict action should be taken against Rajan for what he has done. We also appeal to the student community to isolate the unethical and bankrupt political stand of the AISA on this incident to save the skin of their own activist. We would like to make it clear to the AISA that the democratic and progressive culture of this university which has been built and nurtured by generations of students after a long and arduous struggle will not be allowed it to die down or become degenerate because of such criminal mindset of individuals who claim to be the biggest supporters of the left movement in our campus.

Sd/- Roshan Kishore, President SFI-JNU.

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