Flashpoint NIT: Politics Over Nationalism?
A recent clash between students at National Institute of Technology, Srinagar resulted in a debate over nationalism and protocol that the police must pursue when dealing with university campuses. What began as an innocuous banter, ended up raising serious concerns about the security and safety of students within the campus. It all began as students sparred with each other as one group lamented over India's defeat in a cricket match, while the other group cheered the loss. Subsequently, the police came in and resorted to lathi charge as students pelted stones. This soon turned into a 'war of videos' as the students and the police presented their versions of the incident. So was a 'minor' incident blown out of proportion or is this the sign of things to come in other campuses? Should there be a law restricting or delineating police entry into campuses? Should political parties be asked to stay away from campuses? Does the debate over nationalism makes campus politics more volatile?
