Ramjas clashes: From Gurmehar Kaur pulling out to Shashi Tharoor backing her, here's how the day unfolded

After a social media war broke out on Monday following Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur’s statements against violent clashes at Ramjas College in the capital, here’s a look at all that happened on the Delhi University campus on Tuesday.

Gurmehar Kaur pulls out of campaign

Gurmehar, online campaigner and daughter of Kargil war hero Captain Mandeep Singh, withdrew her campaign against the ABVP on Tuesday morning, just before scheduled protests were about to begin at Delhi University. Kaur said she wanted to be left alone, and added that she has already expressed all she wanted to.

LSR student wins more support

The English department of Lady Shri Ram College, where Gurmehar Kaur is a first-year student, has issued a statement in unanimous support of its student.

_"_We, the faculty members of the English Department, Lady Shri Ram College unequivocally and strongly support our student Gurmehar Kaur and her right to express her opinion on issues that embroil our university," the statement said.

Faculty members from LSR College, Miranda House and other colleges in New Delhi also came down to participate in the protest march and express their solidarity with Kaur. Nandita Narain, a mathematics professor at St Stephens College, said that she was present when the ABVP protesters were beating up students in the presence of police.

Shashi Tharoor also spoke up in support of Gurmehar. He said, “I am disappointed that my cricket hero Virender Sehwag chose to enter the wholly politicised debate over Gurmehar Kaur’s words by saying ‘I didn’t score two triple centuries, my bat did’.”

Even Javed Akhtar slammed out at Rijiju who trolled the young student. He said, “I don’t about her but Mr Minister I know who is polluting your mind.”  He also said, “If a hardly literate player or a wrestler troll a pacifist daughter of a martyr its understandable but whats wrong with some educated folks.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra also came out in support of Gurmehar and congratulated her for taking on “the fascists bravely”.

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha said the Ramjas College fracas is not good for the youth.

DU protests begin

Shouting “ABVP Go Back”, hundreds of students marched through Delhi University on Tuesday to denounce the RSS-affiliated body for attacking students, teachers and journalists in the campus.

Some 2,000 students, both boys and girls, walked from Khalsa College at the edge of the university through the sprawling campus, and later gathered at the Arts department, shouting slogans all the time.

Many held banners demanding the right to freedom of speech and condemning the ABVP for the 21-22 February disturbances in the otherwise placid campus. “We are here to show solidarity and to make the ABVP understand that DU stands together against violence,” student Hindolee Datta.

Though the protests took some time to gain momentum, members of the Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) staged a hunger strike in the campus, also against the ABVP on Tuesday morning. “Why so creepy, ABVP” and “Khabardar Khabardar ABVP Khabardar (Beware ABVP)” chanted the students, while marching from Vishwavidyalay Metro to SGTB Khalsa College. Several students even carried the national flag, claiming to have done so to ensure they aren’t mistaken for anti-nationals.

JNU faculty joined the protest and said they are behind the stir, which is “the need of the hour”. Students’ union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and CPM politburo Sitaram Yechury joined the students in their protest at Khalsa College.

“I was bruised on 22 February because of stone-pelting. I don’t belong to any political party. I am here to protest against violence,” said a Ramjas College student who did not want to be named.

A lecturer who joined the show of strength underlined that she was there “for the safety of students threatened by the ABVP”.

Meanwhile, almost 24 hours after Gurmehar spoke out about the rape threats that she received, the Delhi police finally lodged and FIR.

Celebrities mock Gurmehar

Wrestlers Babita Phogat and Yogeshwar Dutt questioned Gurmehar’s “anti-nationalism”, a day after celebrities like Virender Sehwag and Randeep Hooda did likewise. However, Virender Sehwag did clarify his tweet later, saying that it was not meant for Gurmehar, “My tweet wasn’t intended for Gurmehar. It was plain fun but people construed the other way,” he said.

Babita said,"Jo aapne desh ke haq m bat nhi kar sakti uske haq m bat karna thik h kya??? (Those who cannot speak for the nation, is it right to speak in their defence?)

Yogeshwar Dutt tweeted a meme comparing Gurmehar to Adolf Hitler saying that he did not kill Jews, the gas did.

Protests on the cards

Protesting students in Delhi have planned another march on 4 March against ABVP’s hooliganism. The students are planning to start the march from Mandi House to Parliament Street. ABVP members have decided on a counter-protest march on 2 March. On Tuesday evening, NSUI held a peaceful torchlight procession in the North campus. The outfit has taken out a rally holding the cut-out image of Mahatma Gandhi.

A video allegedly capturing ABVP activists assaulting three students returning from the protest in Khalsa College is now making rounds on social media.

NHRC seeks report from Delhi police

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday sought a report from the Delhi police over allegations that policemen attacked a female student and manhandled journalists on 22 February, while students clashed at Ramjas College. The Standing Committee on Home Affairs has also sought a report from the Delhi police in the matter. In a notice to Delhi police commissioner Amulya Kumar Patnaik, the NHRC said it has taken cognizance of complaints and media reports against the police, and gave him four weeks to submit a detailed report.

The Delhi Police assured that adequate protection has been put in place around north campus. The police also said that it has taken cognisance of the complaint filed by Gurmehar Kaur.

The Delhi Commission for Women on Tuesday asked Facebook to deactivate the accounts which were used to allegedly issue “rape threats” to  Gurmehar Kaur.

Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid react

JNU students’ leader Umar Khalid later said, “Virendra Sehwag played for BCCI, he does not represent India. The thousands of students and teachers who came out in Delhi University today, they represent India - a vision of a New India based on equality, justice and freedom!” and “The moment you write anything against Sangh on social media, trollers surround you like bees from all sides. But when it comes to coming out on the streets, ABVP can at most muster up 150-200 people in support of their fascist ideology…”

JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar, out on bail in a sedition case, on Tuesday joined the anti-ABVP march at the Delhi University demanding “non-violence” on campuses.