Under pressure, SRCC cancels panel discussion on anti-CAA agitation in Northeast
New Delhi, Jan 23:
The Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) of Delhi University (DU) cancelled a panel discussion on 'Why is the North-East Protesting' against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) scheduled to be held today. The panel discussion, organised by the North-East Cell of SRCC- DU, was cancelled an hour before its scheduled time.
Reportedly, the university came under pressure from the students' body, backed by the RSS's student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
According to the organisers, the university served them a notice today which reads "Due to unavoidable circumstances the programme scheduled today, being organised by the North East Cell, is cancelled".
In a statement issued by the North East Cell, it was informed that the event was apparently cancelled by the administration as there is a possibility of violence on campus if the event was to take place. "We were told that there was no balance in our panel and all our speakers had the same bent of mind," read the statement.
The speakers scheduled to take part in the panel discussion include — Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty (Deputy Editor of The Wire), Pradyot Manikya Debbarman (Editor-in-Chief of The Northeast Today and Tripura royal scion), Nayan Jyoti (Research Scholar & Activist from Assam), Leki Thungon (Independent Reseacrher & Writer and Prof Amrapali Basumatary (Deppt of English-Kirori Mal College).
According to The Wire, before the NE Cell members were informed of the decision of the administration, the students' body had written a letter to the Principal seeking cancellation of the event.
They reportedly stated that the seminar is based on one-sided ideologies on the CAA which may indulge in violence and misleading information among the students.
According to a source in the administration, the principal decided to cancel the event "after the student union members came to her office with police personnel from the Maurice Nagar station and some Intelligence Bureau officials who told her that ABVP members may resort to violence inside the campus if it is allowed to be held," The Wire reported.
Meanwhile, reacting to the sudden cancellation of the event, one of the speakers, Pradyot Manikya Debbarman, who is also one of the petitioners to move the Supreme Court against the CAA, said "It's very sad because our views are getting hijacked by both sides — Left Wing and Right Wing and while we have our independent narratives, our voices are being suppressed. Northeast's opinion on NRC, CAA is very different from that of the rest of the country. It is very sad that voices are curtailed like this. But we will not stop speaking what we think is right for us."
