St Stephen's College students boycott classes
New Delhi: In a very rare move, the students of Delhi University's St Stephen's College boycotted classes on Wednesday in solidarity with Jawaharla Nehru University (JNU) students and in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The students had given the call for boycott on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, they assembled in the college lawns and read the Preamble.
Meanwhile, at least 100 students stood outside the college building, holding placards and shouting slogans. Alumni of the college and from Delhi University gave out their solidarity after an eight-minute video surfaced on Twitter showing hundreds of students protesting amid rainfall in Delhi.
Students and teachers marched within the campus holding placards that read 'Students against fascism' and chanted 'Azadi' slogans.
"At St Stephen's today. Students boycott classes (very, very rare) to read the Preamble to the Constitution and to support and say #WeStandWithJNU. And #NoCAANoNRC," the alumni group, Stephanians, tweeted.
The group then marched a few hundred metres to the Faculty of Arts area on campus, a short distance from the college. Students of other nearby colleges on North Campus like Miranda House boycotted classes on a call given by St Stephen's students.
The students wrote that the NRC-NPR is the government's "latest move against the rights" of Muslims and people from the Northeastern states. "As students of an institution that has had a long history of being at the forefront of democratic movements, we need to boldly express our resistance," they wrote.
St Stepehen's is the latest university to join the protest against CAA and NRC. Numerous protests have been going on all over the country in what people say is an "unconstitutional bill". Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has been protesting against the bill for over 25 days. Meanwhile, Delhi University's student organisation has been organising events against CAA, but this is the first time any college has boycotted class.
Meanwhile, the students' union of Delhi University's Hindu College has unanimously decided to postpone its literary festival, scheduled to be held on January 9-10, to express solidarity with the students who have faced violence on their university campuses.
The prime minister of the students' body of the college, Ashish Kumar, had a meeting with the other office-bearers and it was decided that the
literary festival titled "Mushaira" will be postponed till further notice.
"We had a meeting and it was decided that the festival, which was scheduled for January 9 and 10, will be postponed. We might hold it after our foundation day," Kumar said.
The festival is now likely to be held after February 15.
