India: Delhi researcher wanting to access the library branded 'traitor' by a university guard

The Telegraph
JNU girl on paper trail branded 'traitor'
Pheroze L. Vincent

New Delhi, March 20: Ria Sharma, 24, was driven to tears today for doing something several of her fellow JNU students had done before her.

She had walked the 1km down Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg from JNU to the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) to see whether its documentation centre had the education policy records she needs for a research paper.

At the NUEPA gates, she was declared a "traitor".

"Around 4.30pm, a friend and I had reached the gates and been asked where we were from. I said I was an MA history student from JNU and needed to speak to people here about the formalities for accessing documents so I could come back tomorrow with the request letter," Ria told The Telegraph.

"The guard asked me to get out. He pushed me and my friend out. We were shocked. He said he wouldn't allow in people from a ' deshdroh ka adda (den of treason)'. I started crying and left."

Ria said that three of her friends later told her they must lodge a complaint, and she returned to the NUEPA with them.

"Again, we were stopped at the gate. The guard said we could complain or even shoot him but he wouldn't allow traitors inside," she said.

"He said, 'The courts are blind to set you people free, but I won't allow you inside even if our vice-chancellor comes along'." [. . .]

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