Farooque Alam, a PhD scholar with a disability at Jawaharlal Nehru University, was subjected to physical assault by both hostel wardens and members of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarti Parishad (ABVP) in Kaveri Hostel on campus on 6 September, Wednesday.
Alam was subjected to a brutal beating, dragged, and physically assaulted by ABVP members after receiving a court judgment from the Kaveri Hostel warden related to the incident during the 2019 fees hike movement protesting the significantly increased fee structure at JNU.
A student in the Kaveri hostel told Maktoob: “Despite knowing that the matter is under proctorial scrutiny, wardens not only asked Alam to vacate the hostel but also came to his room, barged in and threw his belongings.”
The students also alleged that hostel wardens called ABVP members and sought their help in compelling Alam to vacate his room, which he has been staying for the past 12 years.
National Students Union of India (NSUI), JNU unit called the wardens’ action “draconian, unprecedented and inhumane” for forcing a student vacate the hostel.
“The Kaveri Hostel wardens, especially Gopal Ram, an assistant professor at the Centre for Linguistics, have crossed all limits of cruelty and senselessness. The way they have forcibly tried to evict a senior student of Kaveri hostel Farooque Alam, a differently abled 4th year Ph.D. student at Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, JNU, speaks volumes about their mindless apathy towards students,” read a statement by NSUI JNU unit.
It further said: “In the long tradition, particularly gained prominence during the unfortunate tenure of the utterly anti-student vice-chancellor of this university. Mamidala Jagadish Kumar, of harassing student activists in the name of bizarre and frivolous cases and proctorial inquiries, Mr. Alam was also handed down a judgment in the incident happened during the fees hike movement against exorbitantly increased fees-structure in 2019. The judgment one-sidedly asked him to vacate the hostel. The matter subsequently went to the Delhi High Court, and one hearing in this case has already happened.”
The NSUI JNU alleged: “The wardens, in complete disregard of the fact that the proctorial judgment is under scrutiny in the court, tried to implement it. And they did it by coming to Mr. Alam’s room in the Kaveri hostel with security guards and throwing away his belongings! As if this was not enough, they even called their favorite ABVP goons to help them do so. When the residents of the hostel, as well as other NSUI activists, tried to intervene in the situation, they were brutally manhandled and asked to leave on the grounds that they were not the residents of Kaveri hostel. So, the Kaveri wardens want the whole campus student community to keep their mouths shut and heads down just because not everyone lives in the same hostel! And all this while they can throw a differently-abled student from his room.”
A postgraduate student at the School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies on a request of anonymity told Maktoob: “We all gathered there to question the grounds on which wardens were asking Alam to evict. We were also manhandled by the guards and in front of our eyes, he was dragged. Later he was beaten by the ABVP goons. What was ABVP doing there if this was an administrative procedure?”
The student added: “Every day, we witness students dying by suicides in educational institutions like IITs due to either mental or physical harassment done by administrations. If anything happens to him, the administration will be responsible.”
“Even if there was any judgement that was to be given to him, there should be a procedure. Why he was not given time or notice in advance for the same?” the student added.
The incident took place at the campus at around 12.30 p.m. The attack also led to Alam’s serious health situation as he began to have trouble breathing and fell unconscious.
He is admitted to the emergency ward of Safdarjung Hospital undergoing treatment right now.
Alam is a native of Katihar, Bihar and has been active in students’ politics ever since he joined the university in graduation.
He had contested for JNUSU elections in 2017 for the post of President.
NSUI JNU unit has demanded of a stay on the eviction process until the High Court clears the matter.
The organisation also demanded severe punishment to ABVP members involved in manhandling other students present at the site to intervene.
 in Kaveri Hostel on campus on 6 September, Wednesday.){kind=link}