'SIR is NRC from backdoor and people are now aware of it': Banojyotsna Lahiri says exercise has affected Muslims, Matuas and women the most

Banojyotsna Lahiri, who was in Bengaluru for the launch of 'Umar and his World', an anthology of writings on and by the jailed activist, speaks about life on both sides of the bars and the problems afflicting the country today.

It’s been six years that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both former students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, have been incarcerated in Tihar Jail. Their crime: critical thinking, vociferous rejection of the State’s nefarious ways to end pluralism and upholding the constitutional spirit of freedom. In today’s India, it is not surprising that this would be adjudged seditious, and institutional forces would be unleashed to silence voices which make more impact than jingoistic ranting of our right-wing public representatives and religious supremacists. The reason for such a crackdown is simple: the State today fears critical minds. 

A glimpse of this fear psychosis was witnessed in Bengaluru on April 28 when BJP Yuva Morcha members tried to stop a book reading session — organised by the All India Lawyers' Association for Justice (AILAJ), the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Bahutva Karnataka — and a discussion on Khalid and others who are victims of the State’s hegemonic policies. The venue turned into a fortress and free access to an event for a free thinker became impossible.

The book, Umar Khalid and his World, is a collection of articles, essays, epistles and poems by Umar, his friends and well-wishers. DH caught up with one of the editors of the book and Umar’s partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, to know more about the book and her struggles in the last six years. However, the conversation meandered through various issues afflicting the country today and ended on a note for a hopeful future. Excerpts: 

On Bengaluru as the venue

We already had the first launch of the book in Delhi. Some people from Bengaluru showed interest in the book launch. Moreover, the city has a substantial population of students and young people. It is also a city that gives the space for critical conversations at a time when spaces of dialogues are shrinking in the country.  

On the book

Umar had been writing since the JNU days. Initially, our idea was to compile those writings in the form of a book. But then, we thought that there are people who have been writing about him. There were articles about the case too. Hence, it became Umar Khalid and his World. Besides his writings from jail, we tried to encapsulate this last six years and the world that he has spawned from inside jail and the solidarity that has reached from outside.

On the struggles outside jail and the support

We all were part of the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protests because at that point of time, we thought that was the right thing to do. That was a discriminatory law that institutionalised segregation for the first time. Our protest is still continuing. These people (Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam; in January this year, five others got bail) are in jail for taking part in this protest, which was for the Constitution and equality of citizenship, and that is what we are still doing. It is our political duty. Now, it has just changed its form. Now, we visit them in jail, go to court and fight the legal battle.

It is not just a legal case that is going on, but a political battle. So, (it is important) to keep the narrative alive. 

When you do this (the legal battle) as a political responsibility, then it does not feel monotonous. Otherwise, these things can be exhausting. But we take it as a political activity to fight the monotony and exhaustion. 

I have had strangers messaging me and reaching out to me. Even on the streets, people have stopped me and talked to me, and these are all positive responses that I got. These are conscious citizens who see through this whole exercise. 

The mulaqat (meeting)

We barely talk about the case. We talk more about what is happening inside and outside. We talk about books and what we are reading. We try to keep that one hour of meeting happy so that we can sustain through the rest of the week. 

On repeated rejection of bail

The reason behind the repeated rejection of bail to Sharjeel and Umar is that these two people have been projected as the masterminds (behind the Delhi riots of 2020). Now, that is the rhetoric to drop. The trial has not yet started, and the evidence has not yet been put up to show how these two are the masterminds. It’s been six years now and no trial so far. The process itself is a punishment. Once the trial begins, we know that the entire case will fall flat as it is a fairytale case. But till that time, the two have to spend time behind bars. 

(The Supreme Court on April 20 rejected the review petition of Umar Khalid against the rejection of bail.)

Indian judiciary and a citizen’s hope

(Do you still have faith in judiciary) Absolutely, we do have faith in judiciary, we have faith in democracy. The reason is that we are fighting for strengthening democracy and not weakening it. A few judges do not define the judiciary. So, we believe in the concept of judiciary because we believe in the concept of justice. We believe in the institution, not individual charity. 

A democracy survives when the institution survives. So, when you are talking about stronger democracy, you have to talk about stronger judiciary and other institutions. Now, the biggest thing that the regime today in our country is doing is that it is liquidating the institutions of democracy, be it the ECI, the judiciary or police. These are withering away and that is their fault. We stand on the polar opposite, we talk about strengthening democracy.

Six years is a long time, and it is exhausting for Umar too. But once you understand the politics of it and why it is happening to you, then it becomes easy to accept. And the fight goes on. He is reading a lot and thinking. 

On SIR and CAA-like protests

NRC (National Register of Citizens) and CAA were blatant. In the case of SIR (Special Intensive Revision), people took some time to realise that this is NRC from the backdoor. It took some time, but there were protests in Malda, Murshidabad, Dinajpur and Berhampore, and people protested continuously for days, much like the anti-CAA protests. There were arrests and police action. Finally, the NIA was unleashed on them. So, it is not like people did not show up. It is much like the anti-CAA protests. 

You know, the anti-CAA protests went on for a month before the media reported it. The protest at Shaheen Bagh (in Delhi in 2019) started on December 16, but it was not before December 31 that it got media coverage. This time too, there were protests in silence in all these places. 

Now, one of the major reasons why SIR protests could not take off in Bengal or Bihar is because the elections were right after, and elections are always dampener for protests. However, this time, the election itself was a mark of protest and the huge turnout is testimony to that… With the Bengal experience, people are now aware (of the SIR narrative).

Mass protest: Is it a possibility today?

The anti-CAA protest was one of the biggest civil disobedience movements in the country since Independence, and no one foresaw that coming. And it was the time when these people (the BJP) had come with a larger mandate and they were bulldozing Babri Masjid, justice and everything. That is why Muslim women came out on the streets during that time. No one foresaw that the farmers would come and sit in protest on the borders of Delhi for one-and-a-half years. So, you never know when the mass of the country will rise up. No one, not even the people in power, can foresee when the tipping point will reach.

The country is still a politically conscious place even after the saffronisation. And, we have seen some spectacular protests in the past. 

Politics of identity in Bengal

SIR has affected Muslims, Matuas and women the most. If you target people because of their identity, they will also retaliate. While the exercise is to make them invisible, people will more so assert their identity. So, this identity politics is there. But it is the question of visibility. Both Muslim and Dalit population in Bengal is higher than the national average, but their representation in the mainstream, culturally and politically, is miniscule. So, the battle for visibility is always there, and with the attack of SIR, there will be more visibility with the fightback. 

Free-thinking universities and student politics

(In the backdrop of RSS holding a centenary programme on the JNU campus) Spaces like JNU and Hyderabad University encourage unbridled free-thinking, and so they have always been targeted. It is basically a battleground for universities that they (the regime) want to win over. It is not just about stopping free-thinking, but they want to propagate their way of thinking. The battle is on and students are resisting. In private universities, they have already shrunk the spaces for discussions. 

When many people say why students should be involved in politics, then we say, “When politics decide your future, decide your own politics.” Ultimately, everything is political, even how much money will be allotted to the education budget is a political decision. And  that depends on the politics of the regime, whichever is incumbent. So, when everything is politics, then why not? Also, university students are adult citizens who vote. They should also fight for their rights. And when we were fighting for democratising education, we were not only fighting for us but also for the future students.

Similarly, when we talk about reservations, then we have to understand that the sections of society which have been historically marginalised would require quota to have access to the manifold of education. It is as simple as that. In our country, caste determines who will have access to resources, be it water, land, jobs or education. At JNU, we had to fight for the implementation of the reservation. This vigilance is required and that is student politics and activism. And that has to be there. 

So, what Umar said before he was arrested, he said, “Don’t be afraid of speaking out. They are not just putting me in jail, but they are putting you in jail too by making you not speak.” That is important to remember to defeat them.