Gurmehar Kaur
New Delhi, February 27
Kargil martyr’s daughter Gurmehar Kaur has moved the DCW, claiming that she has received “rape threats” allegedly from ABVP members after she initiated a social media campaign against the RSS’ student wing.
Twenty-year-old Kaur, a Delhi University student, had started the campaign, “I am not afraid of ABVP”, following the violence at Ramjas College, which went viral and received massive support from students across various universities.
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The women’s body has received a complaint from Kaur, said Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal, adding that the matter is being looked into.
In her complaint to the DCW, the student has said she has received “rape” threats on social media allegedly from members of the ABVP after she condemned “violence in name of nationalism” in the backdrop of Ramjas incident.
Kaur, daughter of Kargil martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, had last week changed her Facebook profile picture holding a placard which read, “I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP”.
Who’s polluting this young girl’s mind? A strong Arm Force prevents a war. India never attacked anyone but a weak India was always invaded. https://twitter.com/RandeepHooda/status/835889479411867650 …
“The brutal attack on innocent students by ABVP is very disturbing and should be stopped. It was not an attack on protesters, but an attack on every notion of democracy that is held dear in every Indian’s heart.
“It is an attack on ideals, morals, freedom and rights of every person born to this nation,” she had said in a Facebook status.
The literature student’s classmates and peers started sharing the post, prompting students from various universities across the country to change their profile pictures with the same placard, as the initiative went viral.
Ramjas College had last week witnessed large-scale violence between members of the AISA and the ABVP. The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on ‘Culture of Protests’ which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the ABVP.
Sharp reactions
The campaign of a Kargil martyr’s daughter against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Monday drew sharp reactions from BJP leaders, with Union minister Kiren Rijiju wondering who “polluted” her mind while another leader comparing her to one of India’s most wanted gangsters, Dawood Ibrahim.Pratap Simha, a BJP Parliamentarian from Mysuru, tweeted: “At least Dawood did not use the crutches of his father’s name to justify his anti-national stand”.His tweet came as the campaign of Gurmehar Kaur went viral online with her photograph in which she said, “Pakistan did not kill my father. War killed him”.To mock her, Simha also posted a photograph showing Dawood with the message, “I didn’t kill people in 1993. Bombs killed them”.Rijiju also took to Twitter to take a dig at her.”Who’s polluting this young girl’s mind? Strong armed forces prevent a war. India never attacked anyone but a weak India was always invaded,” the Minister of State for Home Affairs said.Talking to reporters, he later said: “One should not say things that could demoralise the countrymen and the forces. Everybody has freedom but that does not mean that you raise slogans to weaken the country”. — Agencies