Vincit Omnia Veritas (The Truth Conquers All)

The die has been cast, ladies and gentlemen

Kanishk Gomes, Class of 2020

On 10th January 49 BCE, leading a single legion, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon to march on Rome. In doing so, he committed an act that flouted Roman laws and sparked a civil war within the Republic. Upon crossing the Rubicon, Caesar uttered three words- Alea Iacta Est, ‘The Die is Cast’. He used these words to signify that they had crossed the point of no return. The march had begun, and he would settle for nothing lesser than a complete overhaul of Rome’s political machinery. He would, thus, either achieve victory or die trying.

For a whole week, the halls, fields, and corridors of NLIU Bhopal rang with cries demanding reformation of the administration. Over time, these cries slowly devolved into desperate pleas with seemingly a singular goal in mind- the resignation of the Director, Professor SS Singh.

This is, unfortunately, nothing new. For a long time, NLIU Bhopal has faced glaring issues stemming from the administration’s lack of cooperation with the students. In fact, NLIU Bhopal is just a bullet point in a long list of Indian colleges with absurd restrictions imposed on students. For months the students had been disgruntled with the appalling lack of transparency in the administration. Furthermore, there was a clear bias for certain students. The root cause of these problems is seen by students, to be the Director: Professor Singh, who has not only been accused of attempting to consolidate power through corruption but also blatant sexism, casteism, and moral policing- actions that would disqualify anyone from occupying a seat as powerful as that of a Director. In one case, the Director was reported to have called a student to his office and accused her of tainting the moral fabric of the institution, because of the clothes she wore. The breaking point of the students’ tolerance was reached, when the administration passed a fourth-year student who had failed the examination by ten marks. This compelled the student body to release a statement, which read:

“Multiple instances of rampant corruption, sexism, casteism, moral policing, and lack of financial transparency have made the student body lose confidence in the autocratic rule that has subsisted for the past ten years.”

This statement sparked off the protests at NLIU, which saw students demonstrate against preferential treatment given to some students, delay in publication of exam results, the faculty’s failure to complete the syllabus in some subjects, and the questionable re-evaluation policy. They are also pressing for an extension of the library timings, and the lifting of the hostel curfew.

Approximately fifty thousand students take the CLAT examination every year. A very small number of them are successful in obtaining admission into the best law colleges of the country. NLIU Bhopal has been consistently ranked in the top law colleges: a law college whose library closes at exactly 9 pm. This brings me to the greater picture I aim to project- the regrettable use of force, and restrictions by various colleges, institutes, and universities in our country on their own students. Some universities look unfavorably upon contact between male and female students, to the extent that they impose fines and suspend students for a hug. A few of them, employ dishonest tactics to cover up glaring issues in the administration. Others, including ones in the NCR, give show-cause notices to their students for protesting unfair hostel curfews.

One cannot attempt to fathom what justifies the ideological oppression, by the powerful, in institutions around the country. Fortunately, we live in an age where students are unafraid to resist not just absolute authority, and the force it employs but also any form of repression that comes from the authority. Around the country, students have led protests, held fasts and openly flouted rules, to prove a point. These students will not accept minor consolations or small concessions. They demand an overhaul, of the system’s foundation and will not be satisfied with anything lesser than the same. Here at Ashoka, we seem to be in a bubble of sorts, distant from a lot of the ongoing conflict. Nonetheless, in view of our politically aware and proactive culture, I am confident that Ashoka will be in solidarity with the ongoing and erupting movements across the country.

Coming back to the words I started this article with, Alea Iacta Est. While the context and the intention are different in the cases of Caesar and students across India, the words ring true at the close of 2017. The die has been cast, ladies and gentlemen. The movement has begun, and there is no turning back. The only question remains- will you join it?

Kanishk Gomes is an aspiring politician, currently struggling through the first year of Ashoka University. He writes when compelled by events both inside and outside the University, and is looking for an outlet for his creativity.