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By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Street Circus

The NEET-UG paper leak was a genuine grievance. Millions of students who spent years preparing for one of India’s toughest examinations deserved answers, accountability and justice. But what unfolded at Jantar Mantar was no movement for educational reform. It was a spectacle of rage, abuse and performative rebellion that often appeared more interested in viral clips than viable solutions. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which claimed to represent the anger of students, ended up exposing...

Street Circus

The NEET-UG paper leak was a genuine grievance. Millions of students who spent years preparing for one of India’s toughest examinations deserved answers, accountability and justice. But what unfolded at Jantar Mantar was no movement for educational reform. It was a spectacle of rage, abuse and performative rebellion that often appeared more interested in viral clips than viable solutions. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which claimed to represent the anger of students, ended up exposing itself, revealing itself to promote a culture of outrage without responsibility and more troubling, have aspersions cast on its funding sources. Besides the fact that just how many of those gathered were afflicted NEET students, the ugliest part of the protest was the language. Videos from Jantar Mantar showed protesters hurling the most obscene and personal abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One can dislike the PM or oppose his policies, reducing political disagreement to filthy personal abuse against an elected Prime Minister is gross cowardice and at the basic level, a sheer failure of basic civic etiquette. No entity cannot claim to be fighting for the dignity of students while abandoning all standards of dignity in public discourse. The irony was impossible to miss. A section of this self-proclaimed progressive generation speaks constantly about equality, feminism, tolerance and justice. Yet the very same voices displayed extraordinary intolerance towards anyone they decided was an enemy. Journalists were targeted, political opponents were dehumanised and anyone carrying a different opinion was casually branded with labels designed to silence rather than debate. Social media has created a dangerous illusion among many young activists that a viral video is a victory, and that shouting louder is the same as achieving something. A few Instagram reels, borrowed revolutionary imagery and slogans can create the appearance of rebellion. But governing a country and reforming institutions and fixing broken systems require far more than theatrical anger. The government, however, cannot escape responsibility either. The crisis was allowed to grow because of delayed communication and inadequate political management. A prompt response, transparent investigation and early intervention could have prevented a limited controversy from becoming a national embarrassment. Instead, the government was forced into damage control, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a capable minister, became the political casualty. For the citizens, it was a colossal waste of time. After weeks of noise, confrontation and disruption, the students gained little. The examination system remains under scrutiny and larger problems remain unresolved. The only visible outcome is the removal of a minister. A protest that begins with a genuine grievance but ends as a contest of abuse and attention-seeking has not strengthened democracy. It has weakened the very standards it claims to defend.

WR promises new infra

CPRO says better travel experience on the card

Mumbai: The Western Railway has decided to utilise the space vacated after demolishing the illegal structures at Garib Nagar in Bandra (East) for creating better infrastructure such as an integrated Railway Complex and facility for more cars.


“This demolition will also reduce the traffic congestion and chaos that people experienced before. The new infrastructure will be built to enhance the travel experience for the people,” said Western Railway Chief Public Relation Office Vineet Abhishek. “We disposed of most of the rubble that got collected due to demolition. I cannot say much about the use of this space, but we are planning to build an integrated Railway Complex,” he told reporters.


Abhishek said the Western Railways have been successful in demolishing all the illegal structures on its land in Garib Nagar. “Almost 100 per cent of the illegal structures have been demolished and removed. We ensured that the ground floor doesn’t get damaged. Our staff are manually removing the houses. The entire work is likely to be over by Saturday,” he said.


Abhishek acknowledged that the Supreme Court’s order helped their demolition drive. “The Supreme Court had put a special leave petition. This was the second time that this happened. On April 19, the Bombay High Court gave a judgment in our favour. The Supreme Court also agreed with the judgment. This gives a message that the action that we are taking is absolutely right, and their judgment only strengthened us.”


Around 100 structures built at the demolition spot were legal, and the Western Railway has taken utmost care of safeguarding those structures. “The Bombay High Court had ordered that these 100 legal structures cannot be demolished. The ground floor of these structures will not be demolished and will be kept as it is. Structures built upon the upper floors of these 100 legal structures are illegal. We will remove them as well,” Abhishek said.


One of the dwellers Ramzan Shaikh said most of the dwellers whose structures were demolished found it difficult to get houses. “Some got houses for rent, but most of them are without homes. People here are from the 70’s and 80’s. There has been no proper survey done. We haven’t had a bath in four days. There is no aid from the government, and we have become completely homeless.”


When asked about the stone pelting, Shaikh said, “The stone pelting happened because they were demolishing a mosque.”

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