I don't need to prove my nationalism: Kargil martyr's daughter Gurmehar

Lady Sri Ram Ram College student Gurmehar Kaur, whose social media campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) student organisation ABVP went viral recently, has said that she would also not hesitate in taking a bullet for the country like her father Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh.

Gurmehar asserted that her campaign is aimed at raising voice against organisations, which challenge the law of the land and try to curb the fundamental right of 'freedom of speech'.

"I will not be scared or be cowed down, my father took a bullet for the country and I am also ready to take bullet for the country, I also have the courage to take a bullet for the nation. I want all students to raise their voices against the violence and say that they will not tolerate this," she said.

Gurmehar further said that she has received threats on various platforms.

"But I will not get scared because I know that I am standing for the right. And it does not matter to me that you are an organisation which is in power, no one can tell me that I should be scared," she added.

Gurmehar also justified the reasons for initiating her campaign.

"It was a simple day that, when I got to know that my female colleagues have been physically assaulted in the protest which took place in the Ramjas College. I also got to know that women were given rape threats. According to me, it was high time to take action against these ABVP people or for that matter any student organisations which try to challenge the law and order or attempts to misbehave," said Gurmehar.

"And that is why we started this campaign so that we can send across a message that we will not bear any nonsense or violence. I love my country and I also love my fellow students and I support their right to freedom of speech," she added.

Gurmehar further said, "I have been termed anti-national. However, I don't feel the need to prove my nationalism. The fact is that are they nationalists? No when you threaten your fellow citizens, you don't remain a nationalist."

After the North Campus clash, Kaur had changed her Facebook profile picture holding a placard which read: "I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP."

Gurmehar had earlier said that she received rape threats on social media after the campaign. Kaur has faced verbal backlash on Facebook, with many saying her father would be extremely unhappy with her for supporting 'anti-nationals'.

Delhi University's Ramjas College had on Wednesday witnessed large-scale violence between members of the AISA and ABVP. The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on 'Culture of Protests' which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the ABVP.