DU clash: Facebook protest of martyr's daughter goes viral

  • | Saturday | 25th February, 2017

In the changed profile picture, Gurmehar is seen holding a placard that reads: "I am a student from Delhi University . "After Gurmehar posted the picture with the #StudentsAgainstABVP, several other students have joined the online protest. It was not an attack on protestors, but an attack on democracy that is held dear in ever Indian's heart. It's about students against a student government organization that does not believe in democracy and uses violence to support their autocratic way of leadership. In the video, Gurmehar had narrated her own story of transformation, through placards, from hatred against Pakistan and Muslims to a messenger of peace.

JALANDHAR: Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh 's daughter Gurmehar Kaur , who was just two years old when her father was killed in the war , has called the assault on students of Ramjas College, New Delhi, by ABVP members as "brutal", "disturbing", and an " attack on democracy ".On February 22, Jalandhar native Gurmehar started a Facebook protest by changing her profile picture on Facebook to oppose the violence that erupted during a protest by Leftist-leaning All India Students' Association (AISA) on Wednesday. In the changed profile picture, Gurmehar is seen holding a placard that reads: "I am a student from Delhi University . I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not Alone, Every student of India is with me (SIC)."After Gurmehar posted the picture with the #StudentsAgainstABVP, several other students have joined the online protest. A silent video by Gurmehar with the message of Indo-Pak peace had gone viral in 2016, a year when nationalism dominated the national political discourse.Gurmehar, who did her schooling in Jalandhar, is now pursuing graduation in English literature from Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi. "The brutal attack is very disturbing and should have been stopped. It was not an attack on protestors, but an attack on democracy that is held dear in ever Indian's heart. It is an attack on ideals, morals, freedom and rights of every person born in this nation. The stones that you pelt hit our bodies, but fail to bruise our ideas, This profile picture is my way of protesting against the tyranny of fear," she posted in her message. "It's time for every student of India to unite! Jai Hind! Jai Democracy! (SIC)"Following this, thousands of students from across the country have posted their profile pictures while holding a poster of similar message against ABVP.Responding to a TOI query about starting the campaign, Guremehar revealed that initially she did not read much into the issue and chose not to voice her opinion till she came to know the details of what had happened to the people she knew."After I came to know that even people who I knew were attacked at the protest, physically assaulted, had stones pelted at them, and were given rape and death threats, it hit me how horrible the condition is. There is only one way of protesting that I know: it is through technology and media. This, for me, is a people's movement. It is not about two political parties against each other. It's about students against a student government organization that does not believe in democracy and uses violence to support their autocratic way of leadership. This is students standing up against goons and bullies to reclaim the university space that belongs to them," she wrote in a communique to TOI.Her silent video, created by Mumbai-based social commentator Ram Subramanian and posted on FB on April 28 last year, asking both the countries to put an end to state-sponsored terrorism, spies and hatred, had gone viral and has more than 15 lakh views at present. She had also questioned the calibre of leaders of the two nations and had asked the governments of both the countries to stop pretending and solve the problem. In the video, Gurmehar had narrated her own story of transformation, through placards, from hatred against Pakistan and Muslims to a messenger of peace.

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