Ex-JNU student and Delhi University Assistant Professor, Kamlesh Narwana, is not happy with the way JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar has become the symbol of a country-wide student movement and a hero. In a scathing open letter to Kanhaiya, whom she declares is a ‘false revolutionary’, she says she is addressing the student community of JNU that is “hell bent on portraying Kanhaiya as the Bhagat Singh of this century.”
She describes an “ugly encounter” with Kanhaiya, whom she allegedly found urinating on a road in the JNU campus in June, last year. She claims that when she objected, Kanhaiya shouted at her, threatening her with dire consequences and suggested that she seek psychiatric help. Narwana filed a complaint against him at the JNU Proctor Office.
After the enquiry, Kanhaiya was found guilty of behaviour “unbecoming of a JNU student” and was fined Rs 3,000.
Meanwhile, the All India Students Federation (AISF) to which Kanhaiya belongs, said in a statement “talk about public urination and threatening are being spread to malign Kanhaiya’s image. He had a verbal argument with the girl following which she had registered a complaint”. It adds,
We do respect the girl’s right to criticise Kanhaiya but we want to reiterate that he has always stood for gender justice. Also, when the incident took place, he was not the president of the students’ union.
When people raised concerns about the fact that the letter from the Proctor was unsigned, she said that she was given a print out of the original office order from proctor office at her special request. The original signed version is on display in all concerned JNU offices and the veracity of the document can be checked with the Proctor of the JNU office.
“Do You Understand What Dignity of a Female Means, Mr Kanhaiya?”
Disclaiming that her association with JNU is long and cherished, and saying that she appreciates JNU’s culture of debate and dialogue, she goes on to ask how Kanhaiya could speak for the dignity of women, when he threatened her for objecting to his urinating in public.
I want to ask, do you really understand the D for Dignity of a female Mr Kanhiya? Unzipping your private part in public and urinating on road – Are these your revolutionary tools to uphold a female’s dignity. When you were requested by a female not to urinate on road (as you were close enough to use a toilet, with a friend with a car to drive you there), you shouted at her, threatened her to shut up, called her by names, insulted her and asked her to go to mental hospital to treat herself (which shows this act of public urination and uncovering your private part on road is completely normal for you), Is this the way you uphold a female’s dignity? [sic]Kamlesh Narwana’s Letter
Saying for Kanhaiya, the right to smoke and urinate in public was his idea of freedom, Narwana said that his callous notion of freedom underlined the “shallowness” of his “political and revolutionary ideology.”
She made it clear that she wasn’t justifying the government’s move and added that there was a difference between criticising the government and portraying Kanhaiya as a revolutionary.
He is so unlike JNU students, such a hypocrite and opportunist politician. Many newspapers and news channels come up with Kanhaiya’s family background and his school time pictures with Comrade Bardhan to show his lifetime commitment for his communist ideology. Do you really understand “What is communist Ideology about gender equality?” [sic]
At the end of her letter, she warns the JNU student community to recognise what kind of message they were sending and to “keep their rationality intact.”
Kanhaiya’s Team Offers No Response, For Now
The Quint contacted Kanhaiya Kumar’s team for a response. They said that they were not aware of Kamlesh Narwana’s online post and had no comment to offer at the moment.
The story will be updated with the team’s response, once it is received by The Quint.
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