Express View on attack on foreign students in Gujarat: Mob on campus
As the world is becoming increasingly interconnected,” says the National Education Policy (2020), it is the responsibility of institutes of higher education to “become active promoters of more peaceful, tolerant , inclusive, secure, and sustainable societies”.
The attack on five foreign students on Saturday night at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad by a mob, reportedly for offering namaz during Ramzan, flies in the face of that commitment and promise. In videos of the incident, about 25 young men can be seen assaulting the students, two of whom were hospitalised.
The response from the authorities has been two-toned . First, dealing with the crime itself, the breach of law and order on campus. Two people have been arrested and the Ministry of External Affairs has issued a statement saying it is in touch with the Gujarat government on the matter. The second response, unfortunately, appears to lay blame on the victims .
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Vice-Chancellor Neerja Gupta has assured the foreign students — from Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and African nations — that they will be moved to a different hostel. That this has become necessary for their safety is disturbing. But the VC’s words also appear to rule out the possibility of an introspection on how and why the students were attacked: “They are foreign students and when they go to foreign countries there is a need to be culturally sensitive.
From this incident it has emerged that there is still a need for cultural orientation .” The onus of being “culturally sensitive”, especially in terms of religious and cultural practices, has been put on the foreign students. It would seem, in this framing, that the mob that attacked them has been let off far too lightly.
The best universities in the world are spaces that, first and foremost, foster freedom. The quality of education they offer depends crucially on the Liberty of thought and freedom of debate that they play host to . The mob and its violence bring an end to the free exchange of ideas and, by extension , the idea of the university. Gujarat University would do well to heed the advice of NEP 2020: To ensure “scientific temper , liberty, responsibility, pluralism , equality, and justice”, it is necessary to nurture a campus that has “full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of all educational decisions”.