Hyderabad holds midnight stir against attack

Hyderabad: Students, senior citizens, teachers and others spontaneously gathered at midnight to protest the attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, after photos, videos and messages of the attack went viral on Sunday night.

Protesters gathered at the Ambedkar statue on Tank Bund road to express solidarity.

Angry and anguished, the student and teacher community felt it crucial that there be immediate protests to send a message that this was not tolerable. They messaged friends over social media and within 40 minutes, more than 200 people had gathered.

We stand in solidarity, says protesters
“How can we go to sleep after our JNU friends have been beaten up by masked goons? It is our democratic right to be able to study peacefully in educational institutions. The JNU students union has our full support. We stand in solidarity with the victims of the attack,” an Osmania University student said.

Slogans included ‘Inquilab zindabad’, ‘JNU mein barbarata, nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi’ and ‘Modi-Shah ki barbarata, nahi chalegi nahi chalegi’. What started as a show of solidarity with lit candles post-midnight where random activists held placards, grew into a full-fledged peaceful protest.

Ashwin Dubey, an activist, revealed that he was in touch with fellow protesters from Saturday’s ‘Million march’ programme against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC.

“I am a member of several WhatsApp groups with people who oppose the CAA. After news of the mob attack in JNU broke out, there was a plan to organise a protest. Many of those who have reached here are employees, and only a handful of students,” Dubey said.

Even as activists squatted firmly, police tried to pacify them. Cops requested the protesters to call off the protest since it lacked permission. Protesters, in view of police cooperation, called off the protest at 2.30 am.