Statues And Ideological Battles On Campus

This was allegedly done 바카라�without due permission바카라� and faced the ire of other student organisations, including the Congress-affiliated NSUI and Left-backed AISA which claimed the move was an attempt to legitimise Savarkar, a champion of BJP바카라�s Hindutva. 

To register its protest, NSUI activists defaced the statue of Savarkar, saying the Hindutva icon could not be placed on the same pedestal as Bose and Singh as 바카라�Savarkar was implicated in Gandhi바카라�s assassination바카라�. ABVP, on the other hand, said, 바카라�Savarkar was also a freedom fighter, therefore deserves his due바카라�. 

A year before that, Syama Prasad Mookerjee바카라�s statue was vandalised, allegedly by seven students of Jadavpur University in Kolkata. It was a series of incidents of vandalism바카라�statues of B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and E.V. Ramaswamy 바카라�Periyar바카라� were also attacked in Kolkata. 

Statues have long been part of campus politics around the world. In recent times though they have become the centre of ideological battles with ramifications beyond the campus. 

In March 2015, a protest movement titled 바카라�Rhodes Must Fall바카라� at the University of Cape Town against the statue of Cecil Rhodes, an ardent believer of British Imperialism was an example of it. This protest was part of a wider movement that later ensued across South Africa about 바카라�decolonising education바카라�. 

In 2018, a statue of Gandhi was removed from the University of Ghana amid protest by students and teachers calling him 바카라�racist who denigrated black Africans바카라�. Though, this protest had not had many takers. In fact, this move faced opposition even within the university. Professor Ernest Aryeetey had said that 바카라�Gandhi's statue was a gift of the Indian government to the University of Ghana, and the university accepted it바카라� because Gandhi gave the message of 바카라�non-violence and peaceful coexistence바카라�. 

 

In India too statues are often defaced and even vandalised. 

Professor of political science at Delhi University, Aditya Narayan Mishra says, 바카라�Statues are everywhere, they are erected to give a political message. You see them in England, America everywhere, and even at the panchayat level they can be found.바카라� 

Mishra explains the logic behind erecting a statue. 바카라�Some people have lived lives for principles, and for the liberties of others. But all people could not get their due in their lifetimes. For instance, Mary Wollstonecraft, a philosopher and women rights advocate. By one act, say, erecting her statue, we can alleviate her status and make people aware of her principles.바카라� 

Political parties often built statues to propagate their ideologies on campuses. Student outfits affiliated to these parties preserve them, on their behalf. The row over Vivekananda바카라�s statue in JNU in 2020 is a telling example of it.  

His statue was allegedly 바카라�defaced바카라� and a complaint was filed with the police.  JNU administration linked it to protests over 바카라�fee hike바카라� and said that 바카라�students having no regard or respect for JNU are indulging in illegal and immoral acts바카라�. PM Modi unveiled the statue amid the controversy. 

Mishra is against both, those who are using Vivekanand for their ideology and who are abusing Vivekanada to oppose him. 바카라�Both are problematic,바카라� says Mishra. 바카라�Vivekananda never talked about bitterness or contempt towards any community.바카라� 
 

British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, known as a champion of the social contract theory, believed that 바카라�image achieves its political function not by iconoclasm or image production but by creating deterrence destruction.바카라� So, those who are in power often create statues that support their ideologies and make these icons 바카라�sacrosanct바카라�.   

Statues also alleviate images of an icon and they infuse confidence among students following these idols. For instance, the statue of 바카라�B.R Ambedkar바카라�, a father of the Indian constitution, came from a Dalit community. Vikram Singh, a student belonging to Jatav, a Dalit caste said, 바카라�I get confidence when I see Ambedkar. He gave us identity. Therefore, his status in universities is very much necessary for Dalit students.바카라�