"Hum Kagaz Nahi Dikhayenge": Gold medalist tears CAA copy to pieces at JU Convocation

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"Hum Kagaz Nahi Dikhayenge": Gold medalist tears CAA copy to pieces at JU Convocation

"Hum kagaz nahi dikhayenge" is a poem recently penned by Varun Grover to condemn the Citizenship Amendment Act

Wednesday December 25, 2019 7:14 PM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

Kolkata: A video of an MA student tearing to pieces a copy of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 at Jadavpur University convocation Wednesday is viral and widely shared by social medica users.

Debosmita Choudhury, who cleared her MA examination in International Relations bagging the gold medal, walked to the stage to collect her degree and medal from Pro Vice Chancellor, Suranjan Das, with the copy of the newly enacted law in her hand.

She recieved the Degree and Gold Medal from the Suranjan Das but put them on the table, walked forward and tore to pieces the copy of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019.

"Hum kagaz nahi dikhayenge" and "Inquilab Zindabaad" she shouted from the stage even as the VC helplessly stood and watched in shock.

It is these women who are revolutionizing India
After receiving the gold medal at the #JadavpurUniversity Convocation. #DebsSmitaChaudhary tore the Citizenship Law Amendment (CAA) on stage. #NRC_CAA_Protest @ComradeMallu pic.twitter.com/ea8pOs1Ng5
— Comrade Rinse Kurian (@rinse_kurian) December 24, 2019

"Hum kagaz nahi dikhayenge" is a poem recently penned by Varun Grover to condemn the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Jadavpur University was on the boil on Tuesday as a section of the employees owing allegiance to the ruling Trinamool Congress prevented Jagdeep Dhankhar - West Bengal Governor and ex-officio Chancellor -- from entering the varsity campus to attend the convocation protesting against his support for the new citizenship law CAA and calling him "an agent of the BJP" in power at the Centre.

They also showed him the black flag, incessantly shouting "go back" and blocked the Governor's car, forcing him to leave the premises after a 90-minute wait.

A day back, Dhankhar had run into similar protests by employees and students at the campus and returned without the university court meeting which was conducted without him despite his directives to the contrary.

Student representatives said 25 others did not take their certificates in protest against the "communal" legislation and the "attack" on students elsewhere who were protesting against the law.

Mixed Reactions

Debosmita Choudhury's act has evoked mixed reactions.

"The entire country is objecting to the CAA. I don't consider it a protest by any group or party. The entire country is protesting, and that has been reflected in the recent election results also. The government at the Centre should understand that the nation does not want this law", former Vice-Chancellor of Rabindra Bharati University Pabitra Sarkar said.

"Tearing up the copy of the CA Act is a part of the protests. The nation does not want either the National Register of Citizens or the CAA. So the country is protesting. There may be various forms of protest. Here, the girl tore apart a copy of the Act as a show of protest," said the noted linguist.

But former Presidency College (pre-cursor to present Presidency University) principal Amol Mukhopadhyay was much more forthright in condemning the behaviour of the university authorities, employees and the students.

"I am shocked as a responsible citizen of India and also as a constitutional expert. I strongly protest against what happened," Mukhopadhyay told IANS.

Choudhury however justified her act saying the Modi government is "needlessly and thoughtlessly passing one legislation after another".

"Our Jadavpur University has always been anti-establishment. (Revolutionary leader) Aurobindo Ghosh had established the institute as a part of the struggle against the British. The fascist regime now in power at the Centre is needlessly and thoughtlessly passing one legislation after another. Our protest is against all these," she said.

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