New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS): Reacting to the recent violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Raghuram Rajan said in a blog post on Friday that news coming out of India has been worrisome and that one has to be truly cynical to not be moved.
Rajan said that such attacks on elite universities gave "substantial credibility" to accusations that the government is attempting to suppress dissent.
"While the identities of the attackers remain unclear, what is clear is that many of those attacked were activists, and neither the government-appointed administration nor the police intervened. And this was in a capital city where everyone is usually on high alert," Rajan said in a LinkedIn post.
Several students, including JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre last Sunday after masked men and women armed with sticks and rods attacked the students and teachers and damaged properties on the campus.
"And when a Bollywood actress registers her silent protest by meeting with the victims of the attack on JNU, even though she puts attendance at her latest movie at risk, she inspires us all to take stock of what is truly at stake," Rajan added.
The former RBI Governor, however, said that it is easy to blame our leadership but in a democracy as proud and storied as ours, "we, the public, also bear a responsibility. After all, it was the citizenry that put our leaders into office and acquiesced in their divisive manifesto, which they have taken as their marching orders."
"When officers of the administrative service resign from their dream jobs because they do not believe they can serve in good faith, they are living testimony that the sacrifices made by the generations that got us freedom still inspire emulation," Rajan said.
Fortunately, the news from India has also been elevating, Rajan said.
"When young people of diverse faiths march together, Hindus and Muslims arm-in-arm behind our national flag, rejecting artificial divides stoked by political leaders for their own gain, they show that the spirit of our constitution still burns brightly," he added.