Doing a story on student protests in the light of Prem's killing. Are students less politically active than they were, do colleges spawn different kinds of politics, what politics are considered fashionable etc.
Spoke to Sreedhara, who today has got beaten up by ABVP goons. So Deepu called from there and I could hear the protests raging in the background - ironic supplement to the whole question of whether they are less active or not.
Citizens' Initiative for Peace protested what they (probably) considered an encounter killing in which Naxalite Saketh Rajan died, but also at the fact that the police merrily cremated his body themselves while duping CIP members into believing the body would be handed over to them, as they had permission from Rajan's mother to perform the rites. And CIP was reassured by the Police that Rajan's cremation had been done in 'Iyengar tradition'. What, for a Naxalite!? He would have turned in his grave. But in their fight against a human rights violation, many people are misconstruing CIP's politics as being pro-Naxalite. CIP is walking a fine line, but what were they doing inviting Gaddar and Vara Vara Rao to meetings anyway... and Gaddar said, famously, "we will answer a gun with a gun". So the situation can only get worse.
Met Vivek. From HT. And Mo, who can wondrously make time for everyone and everthing else: he was off to a movie. So told him that was annoying and he said he "couldn't take all the stress". Well, then.
