Marking the 15th Anniversary of the killing of former JNUSU President Comrade Chandrashekhar, hundreds of students from JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University, along with teachers, workers, intellectuals, writers and cultural activists gathered at a Protest Sit-in at Jantar Mantar on Saturday evening.
They raised slogans in protest against the recent verdict of a Patna court, which convicted three of the hit-men for the murder, but was silent on former RJD MP Mohd. Shahabuddin at whose behest the murder took place.
Addressing the protest meeting, AISA\\\’s All India General Secretary Ravi Rai said, "Chandrashekhar and Shyam Narain Yadav were killed when addressing a street corner meeting campaigning for a Bihar Bandh called by CPI(ML). That killing was no ordinary murder but a political assassination. Several witnesses testified to the fact that the killers were well-known hit-men (‘shooters’) working for former MP Shahabuddin. Yet the CBI enquiry remained silent on Shahabuddin\\\’s role, and has shamefully shielded Shahabuddin!"
Kavita Krishnan, former JNUSU Joint-Secretary and Central Committee recalled the huge student movement that had followed Comrade Chandrashekhar\\\’s murder.
She said that the movement would continue until Shahabuddin is charge-sheeted in this case, convicted and given the severest punishment. Nothing less is acceptable in the name of justice.
Addressing the protest, CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya said, " the CBI enquiry was ordered as a concession to the demand raised by the powerful student movement that followed the murder – precisely because the CBI was expected to nail the powerful political conspirators behind this assassination. But the CBI has deliberately avoided recognizing Chandrashekhar’s killing as a political assassination. This silence points to a political motive on part of the CBI, to protect the criminal politician Shahabuddin who is known to have been a right-hand man of the RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav."
Prof. KJ Mukherji of JNU too recalled how goons supporting the ruling RJD Government of Bihar had fired on students protesting at Bihar Niwas, and that in spite of all the repression and threats, the spirit of the democratic movement would continue.
Others who addressed the protest meeting included Prof. Tripta Wahi, Kavita Srivastava of PUCL, social activist Himanshu Kumar, and Anand Pradhan from Indian Institute of Mass Communications. JNUSU President Sucheta De and Joint Secretary Firoz Ahmad, CPI(ML) Central Committee member Prabhat Kumar, Delhi State Secretary of CPI(ML) Sanjay Sharma, Sudhir Suman and Bhasha Singh of Jan Sanskriti Manch, several journalists, teachers, writers and democratic individuals also attended the protest.
A petition addressed to the Director, CBI was signed by many at the gathering.
Cultural teams of students of Jamia Millia and DU, and Asmita, presented rousing songs.
Lokesh Jain\\\’s team presented a \\\’marsiya\\\’ dedicated to Chandrashekhar. Several poets – Anamika, Manglesh Dabral, Madan Kashyap, Sanjay Kundan, Mukul Saral, Shobha Singh and Vidrohi – presented poems in Chandrashekhar\\\’s memory.
The meeting concluded with an address by AISA President Sandeep Singh who have an inspiring call to take Chandrashekhar\\\’s struggle against injustice forward. Students raised rousing slogans saying, "Chandrashekhar we\\\’ll take your mission to its conclusion!"