Watch this scene: SAR Geelani is invited to participate in a seminar on ‘Communalism, Fascism and Democracy, Rhetoric and Reality’ at Delhi University.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)’s goons – about 50 students – do what they are best at: vandalise the venue, hurl abuses and even spit on him.
Geelani had not picked up a loudspeaker and started screaming in the street corners to get people all charged up. This was within the confines of a university conference room and a serious discussion.
Instead of accepting that the behaviour of the activists was unfit in civil society, the BJP’s spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy had the gall to state, “The surcharged emotions of patriotic students can't be simply ignored”. No, these students had not listened to the seminar; they just discovered there was such an event taking place and because everyone who does not talk their language is a pseudo-secularist and terrorist-sympathiser, they landed up there and expressed their emotions.
How dare these guys call themselves patriotic? Who has given them the carte blanche to represent all of India and Indians? They are a political party’s basic instinct group.
The only concession made was that “we certainly feel that the nature of protest should be more hygienic”! So, instead of spitting (which is an Indian pastime, anyway), they would pelt stones, throw dung cakes, spray cow urine…what?
Rudy finally said, “His (S A R Geelani) association with militants can't be denied and one can simply say that he was just saved by the skin and the shroud of mistrust still prevails about him.”
Mistrust by whom? And who is associating with which militants we all know now. And he wasn’t saved by the skin. Prof. Geelani was framed on the basis of forged documents and fabricated evidence. He was proved innocent by the highest court in the land. If you talk of patriotism, then respect that. Or file a counter case like law-abiding citizens do.
Now go and teach your boys some hygiene and how to get a life.
- - -
Those interested in my posts on Afzal Guru will find them here
