Under pressure, SRCC cancels panel discussion on anti-CAA agitation in Northeast
New Delhi, Jan 23:
The Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) of Delhi University (DU) cancelled a panel discussion on 'Why is the North-East Protesting' against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) scheduled to be held today. The panel discussion, organised by the North-East Cell of SRCC- DU, was cancelled an hour before its scheduled time.
Reportedly, the university came under pressure from the students' body, backed by the RSS's student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
According to the organisers, the university served them a notice today which reads "Due to unavoidable circumstances the programme scheduled today, being organised by the North East Cell, is cancelled".
According to a source in the administration, the principal decided to cancel the event "after the student union members came to her office with police personnel from the Maurice Nagar station and some Intelligence Bureau officials who told her that ABVP members may resort to violence inside the campus if it is allowed to be held," The Wire reported.
Meanwhile, reacting to the sudden cancellation of the event, one of the speakers, Pradyot Manikya Debbarman, who is also one of the petitioners to move the Supreme Court against the CAA, said "It's very sad because our views are getting hijacked by both sides — Left Wing and Right Wing and while we have our independent narratives, our voices are being suppressed. Northeast's opinion on NRC, CAA is very different from that of the rest of the country. It is very sad that voices are curtailed like this. But we will not stop speaking what we think is right for us."