Marking the anniversary of the martyrdom of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, AISA organised a public programme titled ‘Campuses to Streets: Is Democracy Under Siege?’ in Bengaluru on September 5. The programme brought together students, academics, writers and activists to discuss the growing attacks on education and democratic rights under the BJP-RSS government, with particular focus on the right to dissent on campuses and the ongoing saffronisation, centralisation and privatisation of education in Karnataka.
JNUSU Secretary and AISA leader Comrade Danish Ali spoke about the courage of Gauri Lankesh and the increasing use of imprisonment against activists who speak out against the government. She also addressed the growing privatisation and saffronisation of education and said that the NEET protests were only a first step towards citizens asserting their democratic rights. She stressed the importance of students participating in political life and struggles.
Sociologist Dr Lakshmipathi C G spoke about the persistence of casteism and patriarchy, beginning within the family and extending into educational institutions. He highlighted the discrimination faced by Dalit students on campuses and the persecution faced by Muslim students in several colleges across Karnataka. He described classrooms increasingly becoming ‘caste-rooms’ and ‘communal-rooms’, while scientific thinking itself is being undermined by saffronisation.
Dr Lakshmipathi also condemned the privatisation of education in Karnataka and said that the root of these developments lies in Hindutva ideology, which, he stressed, remains the central force that students and democratic movements must confront.
Author Meena Kandasamy, in her address, said that the assassination of Gauri Lankesh marked a decisive escalation in the attack on dissent, with the Right Wing moving beyond attempts to imprison activists towards eliminating them. She spoke about the intensification of censorship under the BJP regime, both online and offline, and described the use of terms such as ‘Dimagi Naxal’ as a deliberate attempt to suppress ideas that do not conform to Hindutva.
The speakers also launched AISA's booklet Education Under Siege, which documents the present condition of education in India, with particular focus on Karnataka.
