Nasreen Sardar, a co-convenor of the national association, was critical of the bill, saying the state had no resources to implement the ordinance in a “dramatically short matter of time.”
The law, she said, “will be implemented, but with little coordination, short notice and inadequate implementation.”
Gopal Gupta, president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the parent organization of JNU Students’ Union, said the law would not affect students’ right to freedom of expression.
“If someone says something offensive to someone, that is not an assault. If one calls for violence against anybody, that is not an assault on him,” said Gupta, a PhD student in the field of gender and women studies.
The law, however, might put at risk the very students whom the law is intended to protect, he said. “If they (the government) start to target students, who would say, ‘I don’t want to be in this class because you will be a target?”
“We are afraid these will be students who won’t be allowed to go to college,” Gupta added.
The bill’s sponsors were quick to dismiss any criticism, with state parliamentarian Ajay Maken accusing the BJP of “an abuse of power.”
“The government has taken every precaution when passing this legislation and I don’t think there is one single instance of someone’s privacy being violated… as the law will protect only students who are students in an administrative college,” said Maken, a member of the Rajya Sabha from Chhattisgarh.
“There is no question of any compromise, any compromise on academic freedom… and the government’s action was to ensure that the law will not endanger anyone’s liberty or any right or dignity,” said Maken, who is also a JNU associate professor.
The bill is seen as important because its provisions would allow the police to stop individuals from engaging in protests outside their campus.
The government has yet to decide its final form, including the clause dealing with student’s right to freedom of expression. The parliamentarian in charge of the legislation said, however, that this was his first meeting with the ministry and that the ministry would seek his views.