Spoke of Dalit Rapes, Branded Anti-National: Nodeep on ABVP Attack

A women’s day event where Nodeep Kaur was invited to speak was disrupted by ABVP members on 8 March.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Md Irshad Alam
Photo Credits: Vaibhav Verma

A Women's Day event at Delhi University where labour activist Nodeep Kaur was invited to speak was disrupted by ABVP members on 8 March leading to clashes among students.

Speaking to The Quint, Kaur says, “Families of Butana and Gurhmandi alleged rape cases and I were invited to speak on the occasion of Working Women’s Day because we often neglect sexual violence on Dalits when we talk of gender in urban spaces. We were branded ‘anti-national’ for that.”

“When my sister, Rajvir, was speaking on the issue about how police and courts help in suppression of Dalit women, some members of the ABVP came and disrupted her speech and started tearing our posters.”

Nodeep Kaur, Labour Rights Activist

In a video, ABVP member and DUSU joint secretary Shivangi Kharwal was seen interrupting Rajvir’s speech leading to a scuffle. She said, “On Women’s Day, some students who were not part of Delhi University had gathered outside Gate 4 of Arts Faculty. They were making anti-national speeches against our army and police. So we had to stop them.”

Kharwal said she was “sexually assaulted and her clothes were torn” in the clashes and she has filed a police complaint.

Nodeep Kaur said the police were not active and stern in acting against the people from ABVP who disrupted the event.

She said, “This is not the first time that ABVP members have disrupted an event which did not conform to their ideologies. But, this is not going to stop us. They jailed me, I came back and sat at Singhu again. So, these attacks will definitely not stop me from continuing to speak for the rights of people.”