The recent incident of violent scuffle between two groups of the medical students in Government Medical College, Jammu was only unfortunate and condemnable but alarming in a sense that such incidents can spoil the tranquillity in the otherwise peaceful Jammu. Five medical students suffered injuries after a scuffle that ensued with violent reaction by those who oppose any reference to a recent movie ‘The Kerala Story.'
The question is why so intolerant to a theme that has been shown in the movie which has been passed by the Censor Board of India keeping the basic parameters of film making in view. The Supreme Court has already refused to entertain any intervention sought to ban the film by an element who vouched for telecasting of BBC documentary with a narrative on painful memoirs of Gujarat after 22 years of incident, but oppose a Bollywood movie merely to appease some element in the society. Once the Apex Court has seen nothing bad about the movie, it is legal and free to watch the movie or share its link on social media without malafide or provocation.
The brawl is said to have started late Sunday night after a student allegedly shared a Whatsapp message praising the recently released film The Kerala Story. There was no valid reason for any section of students to feel enraged by the post and indulge into confrontation in reaction. When some local students saw the first-year student being cornered and beaten, they came to his aid. The situation quickly turned into a full-fledged brawl.
As mostly happens in such cases particularly in a state like Jammu Kashmir, the civil and police administration have not a good track record. They have been often subjected to political pressure and they performed dubiously.
According to some students who witnessed the Sunday incident first hand alleged, “Students who disliked the sharing of links attacked the first-year student for endorsing ‘The Kerala Story', now those who initiated the assaults were playing the victim card and administration and media are siding with them.
According to a student who witnessed the entire incident, a group of students shouted objectionable and anti-national slogans while indulging in violence. The principal of the Government Medical College has termed the incident as “unfortunate” and assured students that appropriate action will be taken against those responsible to maintain peace in the institute.
However, the media has been spinning the attack on a local student in GMC hostel Jammu by buying a version of the students who were opposing the sharing link of the movie and who allegedly initiated the assault.
Notably, several mainstream leftist media outlets covered the incident as well, but they told a different story in which the local student was portrayed as an aggressor for ‘provoking' others by praising The Kerala Story.
The onus, therefore, lies on the investigative agency to probe fairly and fearlessly the entire episode of this incident and such elements who have been indulging into the violence promptly instead of rational argument and destroying the peace. Do not fear the jobless politician anymore!
