The JNU turmoil, as seen from the outside

The current turmoil in JNU, HCU and FTII likely stems fom a sense of hopelessness on campuses created by years of jobless growth

It has been a week of forwarded messages. A few days ago, I received a ‘must-watch’ video which was basically a clip of a well-known television anchor talking about ‘anti-national’ activities at a university campus. The clip was like the last word on the subject. It was passionate, persuasive and very judgemental. Since I had very little prior knowledge of what had happened inside the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, I believed the anchor’s version.

In the next few days, I got a series of messages and video clips, heard many statements and read a number of media reports giving their own take on what happened inside the campus. The finality of the first impression after hearing the anchor’s judgement gave rise to confusion.

Having worked in television news channels myself for nearly a decade, I could anticipate their coverage. I therefore decided not to watch television news on this issue.

What I found very disturbing all through was the liberal use of words like anti-national, terrorist, sedition etc. Powerful as these words are, they can divide and unite at the same time. Used sparingly and sensibly and with proper context, they do not ignite so much passion as they are doing now. But liberal dose of these words can be disruptive. And it is precisely the case now. “The entire discourse is bizarre. Deal with anti-social elements by all means. But don’t tarnish the image of an institution like JNU,” a JNU professor told me on the phone on Saturday.   

According to one camp, anti-national activities in any form – whether sloganeering or in the form of taking out any procession — must be dealt with firmly. Fair enough. Proponents of this group believe that what happened inside the university campus was nothing short of anti-national activity. But has this been conclusively established beyond any reasonable doubt? Not yet.

To pronounce judgement on the basis of few video clips whose authenticity have not been established yet is premature. Abundant caution is required in such cases. But in the age of instant justice and trial by social media, who cares?

The other group is of the view that in the name of freedom of expression, sloganeering and processions, even if objectionable to some, are fine. They argue that healthy debate of diverse views is the core of vibrant democracy. The point is well taken. But why abandon caution when controversy is round the corner?

But my hunch is that the current turmoil of which JNU has become a focal point is not just about one position versus another. When so many people can be swayed so easily, you know that something has gone wrong.

Years of jobless growth has created a situation where there is a sense of hopelessness inside our campuses. Current turmoil
in JNU, Hyderabad Central University or Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is perhaps a result of that. A little spark somewhere is all that is required to convert an event into a bull blown crisis. This is not to suggest that what happened in Hyderabad, JNU or FTII are small sparks.

Can we have some sort of sanity in the entire discourse, please?