The countrywide protests against the Sangh-Modi government on the Rohith-JNU issue are spreading and getting stronger.
The Uttar Pradesh unit of the CPI(ML) observed a state-wide protest week from 14 to 20 February after which on 22 February dharnas and hunger strikes were held at District Headquarters in Varanasi and the entire Poorvanchal on the occasion of Modi’s Varanasi visit. From 23 to 25 February 6 Left parties had called for a countrywide protest, in response to which CPI(ML) and other Left parties organized protests, rallies, marches, and effigy burnings.
During the protest week- protest meetings, marches, and meetings were held in Sitapur, Faizabad, Mathura, Chandauli, Ghazipur, and Muradabad. CPI(ML) and AISA held a protest at BHU gate in Varanasi which was disrupted by ABVP and Sanghi goons. The administration arrested ML and AISA activists and released them at the Police Lines where they resumed their protest march. Protest meetings and marches were also held at Sukrut (Sonbhadra), Urai (Jalon), Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Bhadohi, Deoriya, and Gorakhpur. At Pilibhit AIARLA held dharnas at Puranpur and Marori block headquarters.
In Lucknow, the CPI(ML), CPM, CPI, SUCI, along with people’s organizations and intellectuals took out a march on 25 February which culminated in a meeting at the Gandhi statue chaired by former VC of Lucknow University Prof. Rooprekha Verma and addressed by Dr Girish, Subhashini Ali, Ramesh Singh Sengar and other distinguished speakers from PUCL, AIDWA, AIPWA, AISA, Women’s Federation, IPTA and JASAM. The speakers said that the Sangh Parivar, which made no contribution to the country’s freedom struggle, is now giving the country lessons in nationalism. It is essential that we give a fitting reply to their pseudo-nationalism and their attack on democratic rights including the right to dissent and freedom of expression. Earlier, on 13 February these Parties and people’s organizations had held a joint protest at the Ambedkar statue at Hazratganj Chowk which the saffron brigade had unsuccessfully tried to disrupt.
As part of the united Left protest call, a joint protest was organized in front of the Allahabad court where some lawyers resorted to violence and attacked and beat up the protesters, injuring several people including women. Clearly, these lawyers were Sanghis who used the black coats as a cover for vandalism and lumpenism on the same lines as the condemnable incident at the Patiala House court. It was only after repeated insistence that the police registered a complaint in this matter.
On 25 February protest marches and meetings were also held in Sonbhadra, Baliya, Ghazipur, Lakhimpur Kheeri, Pilibhit, Kanpur, Faizabad, Azamgarh, Gonda, Muradabad, Mathura, and Mughalsarai.
In Rajassthan, protests were held jointly by CPI(ML), CPM, CPI and the Loktantrik Adhikar Evam Sadbhavana Manch in front of the Udaipur Collectorate on 25 February against the Modi government’s relentless attacks on citizen’s democratic rights. The protesters demanded justice for Rohith Vemula and the unconditional release of the JNU students arrested on false charges of sedition. Speakers addressing the protest meeting said that Universities like JNU and HCU are being targeted for opposing the anti-student policies and saffronization and privatization of education by the Modi government; only recently these Universities had played a major role in the nationwide protests against the ending of non-NET fellowships and in the Occupy UGC and WTO Go Back agitations. They pointed out the hypocrisy and opportunism of the Modi government which calls the JNU students anti-national for organizing an Afzal Guru event, but is desperate to form a government in Kashmir with the PDP which openly calls Afzal Guru a martyr. At the conclusion of the meeting a delegation met the Collector and submitted a memorandum.
In Bhojpur district, Bihar, 45 prisoners in the Ara jail went on a 2-day collective hunger strike to demand justice for Rohith Vemula and release of JNUSU President Kanhaiya and other students and withdrawal of all the fabricated sedition charges. On the first day hundreds of inmates who are ML supporters marched inside the Ara jail and held a meeting at the Bhagat Singh statue. The speakers at the meeting said that all justice-loving people are with the JNU students who have been falsely implicated in sedition charges. They demanded justice for Rohith Vemula and the removal of Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya as well as the VC of HCU. On the second day the prisoners continued their protest and boycotted court appearances. The condition of Pramod Kahar, on hunger strike, worsened and he was hospitalized. The speakers stressed that students and youth would continue their protests until their demands were met. Manoj Manzil, Anjay Mehta, Suresh Lal, Pappu Paswan, Budhan Choudhury, Arun Singh, Satendra Rawani, Satyadev Ram, Ramesh Paswan, Raju Choudhury, Sonadhari Yadav, and others took part in the hunger strike.
