IISc students, faculty condemn government failure in Delhi communal violence

Expressing concern over the communal riots in the national capital and elsewhere in the country, the faculty, research scholars, staffers, and students of Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science issued a statement of concern on Thursday. The violence in Delhi has left at least 32 dead and over 200 injured.

Signed by 264 persons, the statement calls the targeting of Muslims across Delhi and other places “antithetical to the secular and democratic ethos of India.”

“The maintenance of law and order in the city of Delhi is the responsibility of the Government of India. We strongly condemn the failure of the Government of India in discharging its duties towards the protection of life and property,” the statement says.

The signatories, who include historian Ramachandra Guha (visiting professor at IISc), say that the following measures should be taken to restore normalcy in Delhi and elsewhere in India.

"Stern action should be taken under the provisions of the law against all individuals indulging in incitement to violence and those actively participating in rioting, arson and attacks on people and property," the statement read, as well as, "immediate provision of medical, material and legal help to everyone affected by the violence in Delhi and elsewhere. We also demand that a mechanism of adequate compensation be put in place for those who have lost their loved ones, suffered injuries or have had their property damaged or destroyed."

The signatories also call upon the Indian government to protect the citizens’ right to peaceful protest and non-violent dissent, and to “engage in constructive dialogue to resolve the concerns being raised” over the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Population Register and National Register of Citizens.

It should be noted that those who signed this statement of concern did so in their personal capacity and this is not an official statement from the institute itself.