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Our educational institutions have become sites of intimidation and fascism, and not just through external forces, sometimes by internal ones.
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A certain fashion college that I& #39;m scared to name has been attempting to silence its students. How? By enforcing a social media policy that threatens & #39;disciplinary action& #39; against any student who even dares speak of the institution publically in a negative light.
What& #39;s even more heartbreaking is the crushingly cold hearted indifference this institute has shown towards the financial situation of its students. The pandemic has adversely affected the income of many many households.
Not just that, we pay lakhs in fees partly to access the infrastructure that the college provides, since our courses are very hands-on and require labs and studios to work in. Obviously, being at home, we haven& #39;t even seen the faces of said infrastructure.
The college has received hundreds of pleas to reduce fees for the current semester, citing financial troubles and, more generally, the lack of use of what our fees are supposed to be paying for (which includes library and wifi charges too, btw).
The authorities chose to stay completely silent in response to these emails, and used the social media policy to remind students of the repercussions of speaking up.
The policy specifically cited & #39;any adverse content that goes against the rules of -insert college name- and the constitution of India& #39;, but I ask, what happens when the content released by the college goes against the freedom of speech enshrined in the constitution of India?
What happens then? Are students supposed to sit down and shut up? Are we supposed to accept this merciless curbing of dissent that, after being exemplified by state forces (read: UAPA), is being practiced at the micro level of a supposedly progressive college?
A college that loves to put up a charade of creativity and individual expression, all the while putting a blanket ban on any kind of student dissent?
We& #39;re at our wit& #39;s end now, student groups that got together to protest are currently disbanding due to further intimidation by deans and such.
Media attention by major news outlets has not generated a lot of traction, at least not enough to pressurize college authorities to release any kind of public statement, let alone redressal.
Tell me this would& #39;ve happened if the BJP goons weren& #39;t in power right now. Tell me this stripping of fundamental rights at the college level would& #39;ve happened if academics and activists country-wide weren& #39;t being arrested just for speaking up.
