The moment the news of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar getting interim bail made its way from the Delhi high court to Parliament Street, the small but determined group of protesters erupted in sheer, triumphant joy. Through the evening, on Wednesday night, the remainders of a nearly 2,000 strong crowd that marched in solidarity with JNU, and Rohith Vemula, in central Delhi, sat restlessly before the police barricades at Parliament Street as speeches in solidarity with Kanhaiya, and the other students in jail on charges of sedition, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharyya, filled in the wait for the High Court decision.At 7 pm, the street broke out into songs and slogans, multiple teary eyed hugs, as the JNU Student Union President was granted interim bail for six months.
The protest, though lacking the massive numbers of the one from 19 February, made up in spirit, as once more the JNU and Hyderabad Central University students, their supporters among the JNU faculty and activists, marched peacefully despite attempts to derail the event. JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid told the crowd and posted on social media that policemen had messaged her about information received that the protesters would be armed with blades and stones and bottles. Others from the campus told dna how the police diverted their buses onto different routes, causing them to be late by over an hour.
"If we wanted to we could do much. We have borne your blows and your abuses and we are not allowed to take out demands to Parliament," thundered Rashid, "but we believe in the force of our ideas." She added that any officials from intelligence agencies should take their demands – the unconditional release of all students with charges dropped, removal of a draconian sedition law, and an Act of Parliament on Rohith's name to counter discrimination on campus, according to the Thorat committee recommendations – to home minister Rajnath Singh, as they had been stopped from reaching Parliament.
The maximum applause, however, belonged to Pradeep Narwal, the student who quit ABVP over the JNU fracas. Raising, to everyone's delight Kanhaiya slogans of azadi from casteism, Brahmanism, fascism, he said he rejected the right wing definition of nationalism that didn't accept Muslims, that didn't respect women, referring to BJP MP Ram Shankar Katheria controversial speech in Uttar Pradesh, and the riots in Haryana. "I am from Haryana and my family back home is scared for their lives," he said. "Those who have created this situation are the real anti-nationals," he added, signing off with vande mataram, lal salaam, jai bhim and jai bharat.
Umar Khalid's father, SQR Ilyas, also offered his support and that of his party, Welfare Party of India, ad thanked the students for their solidarity for Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban. "They are your enemies because you think of the poor and downtrodden," he told the students, "the dalits, the adivasis, the labourers and the farmers." "They want to crush these thoughts," he added, calling the right wing idea of nationalism as one with no place for love for people. Rajya Sabha MP, and CPI member Brinda Karat spoke in support once again, challenging the "lies" told by HRD minister Smriti Irani.
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