If the Aam Aadmi Party was the first to criticise the Government for denying asylum to American whistle-blower Edward Snowden,it is the turn now of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU). The students union has started an online petition protesting the Ministry of External Affairs summary rejection of the request for asylum made by Snowden who had routed the request via the Indian embassy in Moscow on June 30. The petition,addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,states: As Indian citizens,we want to know the grounds on which Mr Snowdens asylum request has been turned down by the government. Snowden has shown exemplary courage in exposing the predatory espionage and surveillance apparatus set up by the United States of America in violation of international laws and human rights of citizens across the world. Petitioner and president of JNUSU V Lenin Kumar said,The alleged bulk grab of data from servers of major internet companies makes a mockery of the privacy agreements that users sign for basic services such as email,chat,use of social media,etc. The petition asks the Prime Minister to consider the fact that Snowden revealed that the Indian embassy in Washington was among the 38 diplomatic missions which were designated as targets for surveillance by the US National Security Agency in 2010, and that such espionage on foreign embassies violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,1961. Had Mr Snowden not made the relevant documents public,we would have remained ignorant about the monstrosities being perpetrated in the name of surveillance and security, Lenin said. Edward Snowden,who is said to be stranded in the transit lounge of the Moscow airport,has written to 21 nations including India to grant him asylum after the United States revoked his passport.
