Jai Hind: Proud to be an Indian

A report of what happened when students gathered at the SC lawns to appeal against the way 27% reservation for OBCs is being implemented.

Wondering why the youth brigade didn’t come up with strong reactions immediately after the Supreme Court ruling that gave way to 27 per cent reservation to the OBCs? Well, this could be safely attributed to the proverbial silence before the storm.
On April 25, students did something nobody has ever done before. It was an appeal alright! Yes, again! But the venue wasn’t Jantar Mantar or the India Gate lawns but the main garden of the Supreme Court of India. Yes, this was the first-ever appeal to be held inside the Supreme Court premises in Indian history. Two hundred students had gathered to convey a message to the government – not to dilly-dally on the SC’s terms and to respect the judgment and clear the concept of the ‘creamy layer’.
Are you wondering how did 200 students get inside the SC gate? This was a strategy. Said a student present, “We walked in one after one and started pouring in since early morning. It was easy to walk in and engross ourselves in cups of chai before starting our appeal around 11 am. We had wanted this to be a silent affair but it didn’t turn out to be just that. We were literally plucked from the ground and dragged into police vehicles and then sent off to the Tilak Marg police station.”
The students offered resistance, held hands and sat close in a huddle and the police wasn’t very kind to them. While some students were tugged, others were pulled and dragged, some were lifted off the ground and some were slapped. It wasn’t the best way to deal with them and, as a result, around ten students were hurt, taken to RML and some lost their phones. Once the authorities realised that this was a strategy, Section 144 was applied that barred anybody from entering the SC.
There was a twist in the tale too! After students were sent to the Tilak Marg police station and released a while later, the entire crowd came running back to the Supreme Court. But this time they couldn’t enter the premises and slogans started at the gate. They were again put in police vehicles and taken to the police station a second time. “We are here to make a point,” said another student, adding, “We aren’t here to go back.” And what exactly is that point? “Implement SC’s judgment, please. Make the new list of OBC beneficiaries, keep to the SC’s take on the creamy layer and provide no reservations at the PG levels,” answered Jiten of YFE. Students from JNU, DU, IP University, AIIMS and MAMC were a part of this movement. And what did the students do post being released a second time? “We went to get some clothes. Our clothes were ruined with the amount of manhandling we were subjected to,” informed a student.

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