The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has filed a 'contempt of court' petition against members of the previous and current Students Union. Well, that's not news. The students are always slapped with some notice or FIR every now and then. What is news, is that besides the students, the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnayak has also been impleaded in the case. This is probably the first time, that the police and the JNU students might consider burying the hatchet. One of that enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend kind of things.
Why are the police also named on the contempt petition along with their longstanding foes?
Because the varsity is believed to have cried foul to the Delhi High Court that:
a) The students have pooh-poohed the Delhi HC order by protesting at the administration block
b) The Delhi Police haven't used the long arm of the law to stop them from blockading starchy-shirted professors from their administrative tasks
c) Neither party seems to care too much about this and is going about their jobs with ostensibly leftist abandon.
The JNU students have not always the best relationship with the Delhi police, particularly since the anti-fee hike protests started about a month ago. Even prior to this, the two have not always been too friendly. The police effectively barricaded the campus when the students announced their march to protest against the fee hike and the new hostel draft. After hours of convincing, the police finally removed the barricades and allowed the students to march, only to stop them much further away — with lathis.
Several students were brutally thrashed, many even ending up in the hospital because of the attack. The police now have to stand on the same podium as the students and answer questions. The students have always alleged that the police are only protecting the administration and not them. Then when did this relationship turn bitter? So bitter that it is now the police and students versus the administration.
The students have said that the petition is unfair, but this seems to be more unfair for the police involved. Especially now that the Delhi High Court, appalled by the fact that the VC is allegedly being dissuaded from entering his office by barbarically rabid students whose sole aim is to give the government more reasons to blame Nehru and things named after him, has given the police marching orders. Or to be precise, orders to march with him (and members of the administration) as they march to and from the admininstration block.
We bet they're asking - Et tu Brutus?
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