Three JNU students charged with sedition, say ‘struggle is still on’

"We are recognised everywhere, so my public life has been affected. Doosron ke liye aazadi maangte maangte, khud ki aazadi chhin gayi,” says Kanhaiya Kumar

Three students were charged with sedition after the February 9 incident. A look at where they are now:

Kanhaiya Kumar: Now in his final year of PhD in African Studies, he is due to submit his thesis in July. Over the course of the last year, he wrote and published a book, From Bihar to Tihar, and travelled the country to participate in people’s movements. “It has become my responsibility to continue political activism. The battle has to be fought outside JNU now. We are recognised everywhere, so my public life has been affected. Doosron ke liye aazadi maangte maangte, khud ki aazadi chhin gayi,” he says.

Umar Khalid: Umar is in his final semester of PhD in History, scheduled to finish in July. After the February 9 incident, he and some others formed a political organisation called Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students’ Organisation. “For many, the issue died down in March-April, but we are seeing the attack continue even now with admissions being stopped,” he says.

Anirban Bhattacharya: He is the only one who has finished his academics and moved on to a job. After submitting his thesis in July last year, he looked for work in journalism, but when that didn’t work out, he joined the Centre for Equity Studies in October. “In JNU, the only thing that’s changed is a low-intensity but constant spate of attacks. It’s not a spectacle like February 9,” he says.

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