Marking the 15th Anniversary of the killing of former JNUSU President Comrade Chandrashekhar, hundreds of students from JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University, along with teachers, workers, intellectuals, writers and cultural activists gathered at a Protest Sit-in at Jantar Mantar this evening. They raised slogans in protest against the recent verdict of a Patna court, which convicted three of the hit-men for the murder, but was silent on former RJD MP Mohd. Shahabuddin at whose behest the murder took place.
AISA’s All India General Secretary Ravi Rai conducted the sit-in, which was addressed by Prof. KJ Mukherji of JNU, Prof. Tripta Wahi, Kavita Srivastava of PUCL, social activist Himanshu Kumar, Kavita Krishnan, former JNUSU Joint-Secretary and Central Committee member of the CPI(ML), CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, Anand Pradhan from Indian Institute of Mass Communications. JNUSU President Sucheta De and Joint Secretary Firoz Ahmad, CPI(ML) Central Committee member Prabhat Kumar, Delhi State Secretary of CPI(ML) Sanjay Sharma, Sudhir Suman and Bhasha Singh of Jan Sanskriti Manch, and several journalists, teachers, writers and democratic individuals also attended the protest.
Artist Shubnum Gill’s paintings of Comrade Shandrashekhar were displayed in an exhibition at the sit-in, which brought alive memories of Chandrashekhar. Several poets - Anamika, Manglesh Dabral, Madan Kashyap, Sanjay Kundan, Mukul Saral, Shobha Singh and Vidrohi - presented poems in Chandrashekhar’s memory. Cultural teams of students of Jamia Millia and DU, and Asmita, presented rousing songs. Lokesh Jain’s team presented a ‘marsiya’ dedicated to Chandrashekhar.
A petition addressed to the Director, CBI was signed by many at the gathering, saying, “Chandrashekhar’s murder generated outrage because a criminal mafia politician, backed by the clout of the then Governments at Bihar and the Centre, ruthlessly eliminated a young activist who chose to work in rural India, to organise the struggles of the poorest of the poor. Now, 15 years after the murder, we reject any notion of closure or justice done - until and unless Shahabuddin, the main political conspirator behind the assassination, is charge-sheeted, convicted, and given the sternest punishment. We demand that the CBI, without further delay, pursue the case to ensure that Shahabuddin is punished for the murder.”
The meeting concluded with an address by AISA President Sandeep Singh who have an inspiring call to take Chandrashekhar’s struggle against injustice forward. Students raised rousing slogans saying, “Chandrashekhar we’ll take your mission to its conclusion!”
