The national organisations of students – All India Students’ Association (AISA), All India Students’ Federation (AISF), All India Students’ Block (AISB), Chhatra Parishad, JD (U), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Student Front for Swaraj (SFS) – have jointly issued the following statement on February 28.

THE systematic attack by the RSS-BJP on JNU has escalated over the last few weeks. Modi government has defended the ongoing crackdown on JNU, on the floor of the parliament. HRD minister Smriti Irani quoted an internal and “interim” report of a “High Level Enquiry Committee” in JNU to name eight JNU students as prima facie “guilty”. In naming eight students in the parliament, Smriti Irani has misused her official position and power to give credence to this highly questionable report of JNU’s High Level Enquiry Committee. The entire government machinery along with a section of media has worked to brand the entire institution as a ‘den of anti-national’ activity. A similar modus operandi was used in Hyderabad Central University, which finally led to the ‘institutional murder’ of Rohith Vemula.

There has been concerted campaign of violence, threat and intimidation across the country. BJP leaders have been actively participating in this shameless tirade on JNU. This is a part of the RSS’ assault on higher educational institutions, which we have witnessed in IIT Madras, FTII Pune, Hyderabad Central University, JNU and elsewhere. 

These organisations have decided to undertake an all India campaign in defence of democracy from February 29-March 5; to organise an all India protest day on March 2 and a march to parliament on the same day in Delhi.

A delegation of all the students’ organisations will also be meeting the president of India, home minister and the MPs. A call for ‘Delhi Chalo’ has been given for March 18, in which thousands of students and youth from across the country will march in Delhi.