To
The Members of Parliament
Democratic India
Subject: Request regarding raising voice for the safety of marginalized and minority students in educational institutions
Respected Sir/Madam
The incidents ranging from the suicide of Muddasir Kamran of EFLU, Hyderabad, the institutional muder of Rohit Vemula at HCU and the enforced disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed from JNU, system’s victim Jabir Raza of Allahbad University, missing case of Jadavpur university student Sushil Mandi and to recent shocking death of Rajini Krish, have shown clearly how much insecure, uncomfortable and unfriendly our campuses are for the students of Dalit and minority communities. Even after series of such incidents, neither administration nor government is taking any action.
As there is no space for student leaders in mainstream political discussions, we the student community who is the future of nation has following concerns:
We student(s) request you to raise voice for the voiceless and oppressed communities in the ongoing parliament session.
Our demands are:
1. Rohith Vemula should be given complete justice by sacking the VC and other anti-Dalit officers of the university who are responsible for it. State and Central government must pass Rohit Act to stop the institutionalized bias and discrimination against the students belonging to Dalit and minority communities. Government must make students belonging to Dalit and minority communities the stakeholders of the Rohit Act and national level consultation must be made in the process of enacting this law.
2. In case of Najeeb Ahmed (JNU Student), the authorities (JNU authorities and Delhi police) responsible to settle the matter must be made more responsible to raise hope for his mother regarding his comeback and ensure justice to him. We also demand to initiate time bound Judicial probe into the matter and to give immediate relief to his ailing mother.
3. An impartial, non-political investigation is mandatory to provide justice to Rajini Krish, research scholar of JNU. The government should initiate an enquiry to find out the truth of the allegations raised by the students.
5. We demand strongly for immediate enactment of Rohit Act in order to prevent such incidents in future.
6. The government and the institutions should take adequate measures to reinforce confidence in the minds of students from Dalit and minority sections and ensure their safety in educational institutions across the nation.
7. Muslim students feel intimidated and threatened in universities even for their mere presence. Meanwhile they are traumatized and are in a state of fear in the context of rising Anti-Muslim atrocities across the country and universities are also not safe and secure for them to ensure their right to life and right to education. The attack on Najeeb Ahmad is clearly a hate crime and assault motivated by hostility towards minorities, especially Muslim students who are pursuing their studies in higher educational institutions. The atmosphere created by leaders of the ruling party at the Centre at different levels is the context in which such crimes are occurring. We demand appropriate action to ensure safe and secure atmosphere for minority students in educational institutions.
Thanking you.