Campus Clashes

The recent disruption of Diwali celebrations at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, marked by chants of “Palestine Zindabad,” offers a peculiar window into the mindset that has taken root within certain sections of India’s academic intelligentsia. Going by reports, a traditional Hindu festival, typically associated with light, joy, and unity, was interrupted by a group of students who imported an entirely unrelated geopolitical issue – Palestine - into the heart of an Indian university.

This pattern is becoming more common in so-called ‘progressive’ institutions where the spotlight seems to be fixed on international causes far removed from India’s own realities, often at the expense of domestic cultural harmony. One might question why these universities, supposedly dedicated to nurturing intellectual growth, have become hotbeds of protest over foreign conflicts that have little direct bearing on Indian society. The anti-Hindu sentiment displayed at Jamia, under the pretext of solidarity with Palestine, points to the steady misappropriation of global political issues to mask a deeper ideological discomfort with India’s traditional and cultural identity, particularly when that identity aligns with Hindu practices.

The irony here is stark. Many of the same students who rally against alleged ‘communalism’ in India —interpreting even benign Hindu celebrations as symbols of Hindu nationalism — are the loudest proponents of international struggles, from Black Lives Matter to Palestine. Their selective outrage raises serious questions about their motivations. Why should Palestine, a cause with its own complexities and nuances, take center stage at an Indian university during Diwali celebrations? The answer seems to lie in the adoption of global ‘progressive’ trends that prioritize perceived oppressions abroad while turning a blind eye to the cultural fabric of their own country. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case; similar disruptions are not uncommon at institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia, and Delhi University, raising the question: why do such incidents persist?

These universities have become fertile ground for ideologies that, while critical of the Indian state, often manifest in anti-Hindu rhetoric. Protests on these campuses frequently veer into the territory of hostility, not just toward the government but also toward the cultural practices of a large section of Indian society.

Many of these institutions have historically been the breeding grounds for radical movements like Naxalism, that challenge the very notion of the Indian state. Protests initially aimed at critiquing government policies often morph into platforms for broader anti-India rhetoric, with fringe groups chanting slogans like ‘Bharat tere tukde honge.’ By shoehorning international conflicts into local cultural events, they risk trivializing both the struggles of people abroad and the traditions at home. What is achieved by chanting ‘Palestine Zindabad’ at a Diwali event in India? Certainly not justice for Palestinians, nor respect for the cultural diversity that these institutions are supposed to uphold.