Youth power for Ramdev

DU and JNU students will take to the streets today to protest attack on the Baba's supporters

Ramdev may not be their next Justin Bieber, but the midnight mayhem at Jantar Mantar has not gone down well with Delhi students. Two days after the brutal crackdown at the yoga camp of Baba Ramdev at the Ramlila Grounds, protests by people from all walks of life continue. Now, students of two major universities have also joined in.u00a0


Delhi Universityu00a0students will protest the ruthless behaviour of the
Delhi police at Rajghat at 10 am and at Jantar Mantar in the afternoon
on Wednesday. (Right) A webshot of the Facebook page.

Student leaders from the Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will protest the ruthless behaviour of the Delhi police at Rajghat at 10 am and at Jantar Mantar in the afternoon on Wednesday.

Voice against wrong
"For the past few days, we have been witnessing the brutal crackdown in Delhi on protesting voices. Even before the shameful lathi-charge at the Ramlila maidan on June 5, the UPA had been threatening to come down heavily on protestors in Delhi. And now, Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in some parts of the city, including at Jantar Mantar. This is an attempt to muzzle dissenting voices and curb democratic spaces. It is a shocking assault on democracy and the citizens' right to protest," said Anir Bose, member of Students Federation of India (SFI), JNU.u00a0

Students across colleges in DU are expected to join in large numbers condemning the action of the Delhi Police and the attitude of the UPA government. "We strongly disapprove of Ramdev's alliance with communal forces. Such alliance is incompatible with the struggle against corruption. But that is no excuse for police brutality unleashed by the UPA government on sleeping protestors, including women and kids," added Bose.

Rahul Saran, student of Hansraj College and an ABVP member, said the government cannot play its tactics and let innocent people get harmed. They will have to bend down to our protesting voices.u00a0u00a0

State dominates
Student leaders claim throughout the country there are incidents of how any kind of dissent gets muzzled by the state: through state-sponsored military campaigns like Salwa Judum and Operation Green Hunt, through the imposition of draconian laws like the UAPA, the CSPSA and AFSPA, and through jailing anyone who dares to criticise state policy.

Jatin Kumar from JNU, who is a member All India Students' Association (AISA), said: "The government has banned protests, but we won't sit back. We will protest the dictatorial activities of the UPA. Though we don't support Baba Ramdev's take on homosexuality and many other issues, we strongly condemn the atrocity by the police on women and children.

Overseas support for Baba
Indian students in the US have condemned the police action against yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his supporters in New Delhi, saying the government has lost "moral authority" and people's faith. "We, as students and responsible citizens of India, unequivocally condemn this act by the Government of India," they said in a memorandum to the Indian President, submitted at the Indian Embassy. The memorandum was signed by Indian students at University of Maryland (UMD), and represented three different organisations - Indian Student Groups at UMD, College Park; DESI (Develop, Empower and Synergize India) and Students Council of India.