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Shehla Rashid

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Shehla Rashid Shora
Rashid in April 2016
Born
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
NationalityIndian
Education

Shehla Rashid Shora is an Indian human rights activist who has pursued her Ph.D. at Jawaharlal Nehru University.[1][2] She was the vice-president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) in 2015–16 and was a member of the All India Students Association (AISA).[3][4][5] She rose to prominence whilst leading the student agitation calling for the release for Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and others who were arrested on charges of sedition in February 2016 for participating and organizing sloganeering in JNU.[6][7][8]

Shora is vocal about the human rights situation in Kashmir, particularly highlighting the plight of minors held in custody awaiting trial, and has been active since 2010 after organising a youth leadership programme in Kashmir.[9] She played a leading role in organising the 'Occupy UGC movement' and the decision to "camp" at University Grants Commission (UGC) headquarters to protest the withdrawal of non-NET fellowship.[10] She led the protest march to the Ministry of Human Resources Development to ask for an increase in graduate student stipends.[11][12][13]

On 16 February 2019 Shora posted a tweet stating that a group of Kashmiri girls were trapped in a hostel in Dehra Dun by a mob demanding their expulsion. The Uttarakhand police subsequently filed a first information report against her for disrupting public tranquility and intent to provoke breach of peace by spreading rumours.[14][15] She had briefly joined the Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement political party, founded by Shah Faesal on 17 March 2019.[16][17]

Early life and education

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Shehla Rashid Shora was born in the old city of Srinagar in the Habba Kadal locality.[18]

Shora studied computer engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar[18] and participated in a ten-week certificate programme in political leadership at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.[18] After graduating from NIT Srinagar she worked as a software engineer with HCL Technologies.[19] She raised the issues of juvenile justice and acid attacks on women in Kashmir but said that "the political space there [was] too restricted."[20] Eventually, she joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University, completing an M.A. in sociology and then studying for an MPhil in Law and Governance.[21] She then pursued a PhD from JNU which is based on "how algorithm based decision-making affects policy making".[22]

Activism

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Shehla Rashid Shora (center) at an Amnesty International event in New Delhi in 2018. Gurmehar Kaur (left) also pictured.

Kashmir

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Shora is vocal about the human rights situation in Kashmir, particularly for ensuring justice to minor undertrials and has been active since 2010 when she was part of organising a youth leadership programme in Kashmir.[9] She participated in a seminar asking to change internet harassment laws.[23][24]

In 2013, when Pragaash, an all-female band composed of young Muslim women, faced online harassment and death threats from Islamic conservatives in Kashmir, she came out vocally in support of the band and condemned the online abuse and threats directed at them.[25][26] She said an interview to the Times of India: "They may quit because of intolerance, rape and murder threats, because of our selectively conservative and hypocritical worldview, because men can issue rape threats to women and no one would call it unIslamic, because men can pinch our butts in the bus and no one would speak up, because men can jack off to item numbers in private but three innocent girls performing in perfectly modest clothing outrages our so-called morality". She launched a counter online campaign 'I support Pragaash, Kashmir's first all-girls' rock band' to mobilise support for the girls.[27]

Delhi

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Shehla Rashid (left) being interviewed by NDTV during the Yuva Hunkar Rally at Parliament Street, New Delhi, India in 2018.

In April 2014 Shora unsuccessfully contested the student election to the Gender Sensitisation Committee against Sexual Harassment[28][29] (this is the internal complaint committee of JNU that deals with sexual harassment).[30]

In September 2015, she contested the election for vice-president of the JNU student union, as the nominee of the Left-backed All India Students Association, and won it, beating the ABVP's candidate Valentina Brahma by over 200 votes. She was the first Kashmiri woman to win a student union election at the JNU and the highest polled candidate of that year.[31] She said that there was enough space to articulate her political spirit at the JNU. However, her challenge was to "convince voters in favour of a Kashmir woman from a non-political background."[32]

Soon after getting elected, Shora condemned the ban on student politics at the Kashmir University. She said that, if ideas are suppressed, they would resurface in "undesirable ways."[33] In October 2015, she led a protest against the University Grants Commission (UGC) decision to cut student scholarships for MPhil and PhD students except for those that passed the 'national eligibility test'. Under the banner "Occupy UGC," students from the JNU were joined by those from the Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia and the Ambedkar University Delhi in protests outside the UGC for over a month.[34][35] She is said to have ironed out the divergences between the AISA and the JNUSU and turned into the "face of the movement."[21]

In February 2016, Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the JNU students' union, was arrested on sedition charges for sloganeering. Several other student leaders were charged with sedition, including the general secretary Rama Naga and a former president, Ashutosh Kumar. Shehla Rashid ran the union during the interim period as she was the only office bearer not facing charges.[6][36] On 14 February 2016, Shehla Rashid gave a speech to a gathering of 3,000-4,000 protesting students and faculty members on the JNU campus following a protest march.[18][37][38] On 18 February 2016, around 10,000 people joined a march in defence of JNU through the streets of Delhi, on Shehla Rashid Shora's call.[39][18] On 2 March, she led a protest march to the Parliament, demanding the repeal of the sedition law. The protesters also called for the enactment of a 'Rohith Act' for ending caste-based discrimination in educational institutions. The protest was joined by students and teachers from universities across Delhi as well as the families of Rohith Vemula and Umar Khalid.[40]

Controversies

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Aligarh Muslim University Student Union (AMUSU) filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Shehla Rashid in February 2017, alleging that a Facebook post she had made used objectionable language about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.[41]

On 27 October 2018, she welcomed newly converted Irish singer Shuhada’ Davitt into a Muslim community which generated online backlash.[42][43] Several days later Shehla Rashid deactivated her Twitter account (which is now active again).[44]

In February 2019, Dehradun Police filed a FIR against her for a tweet she posted on 16 February 2019 where she had written "15-20 Kashmiri girls trapped in a hostel in Dehradun for hours now. mobs outside are baying for their blood. Police is present but unable to disperse the mob." Police dismissed her allegation as rumour.[45][46] The FIR was filed under sections 504, 505 and 153b of the Indian Penal Code.[47][48]

In August 2019, she tweeted that Indian Army was torturing Kashmiris as a consequence of Indian revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.[49] The allegation was rejected by the army as baseless.[50][51][52][53] Supreme court lawyer Alok Srivastsava filed a complaint under offence of sedition and sought criminal action against Shehla Rashid over her allegations.[54][55]

Views

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In an interview with ANI, Shehla Rashid commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for securing a “bloodless” political resolution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. In her X post, Shehla Rashid wrote, “What caused my change of heart is the realisation that the Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi is a selfless man who is taking radical decisions to transform India. He has braved intense criticism but remained steadfast to his vision of inclusive development that leaves no one behind.”[56][57][58]

Political party

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Shehla Rashid had briefly joined Jammu & Kashmir People's movement (JKPM), a political party started by former IAS Officer Shah Faesal.[16] However has now resigned from the same.[59] In November 2023, Shora appreciated PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister in an interview with ANI. She said situation in Kashmir has changed after the repulsion of Article 370 and All credit for this goes to PM and HM.[60]

References

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  1. ^ Srivastava, Ritesh K, ed. (1 December 2020). "Who is Shehla Rashid Shora and why is this former JNU student in news?". Zee News. says: "currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India."
  2. ^ "Shehla Rashid". Twitter. Retrieved 6 December 2020. says: "Ph.D. candidate, JNU".
  3. ^ "Voice from Valley leads JNU narrative". The Times of India. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  4. ^ Bhuyan, Anoo (19 February 2016). "Student Movements Will Be Deathbed Of RSS Agenda". Outlook India. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  5. ^ Ali, Ursila (17 February 2016). "JNU Crackdown: 4 powerful voices you can't ignore". DailyO. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b Aranya Shankar, Shikha Sharma (29 February 2016) JNUSU, in Kanhaiya's absence: Shehla holds the fort with Rama, Saurabh charts his own path, The Indian Express.
  7. ^ Manavi Kapur (12 March 2016). Shehla Rashid has found a political lexicon at JNU. Business Standard. Retrieved on 7 May 2020.
  8. ^ Sudipto Mondal (14 March 2016). Cornered on the Left: Questioning JNU student leader Shehla Rashid. Hindustan Times. Retrieved on 7 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b Bismah Malik (15 December 2011) Spreading wings in the Valley, The Hindu Business Line.
  10. ^ (22 October 2015). Students plan all night sit-in to protest scrapping of non-Net fellowship, Zee News India.
  11. ^ Kritika Sharma Sebastian (6 November 2015). 'Occupy UGC' protest knocks at MHRD doors, The Hindu.
  12. ^ Manash Pratim Gohain (5 November 2015) UGC fellowship: Students get a say in review panel, The Times of India.
  13. ^ "Occupy UGC: Students protest outside HRD Ministry, start postcard campaign". The Economic Times. PTI. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Pulwama attack aftermath: FIR against Shehla Rashid for tweet on trapped Kashmiri girls". India Today. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  15. ^ "Shehla Rashid: Dehradun Police registers FIR against former JNUSU leader for 'rumour mongering'". DNA India. ANI. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  16. ^ a b "JNU Student Leader Shehla Rashid Enters Active Politics, Joins Shah Faesal's JKPM". News18. PTI. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  17. ^ Roshangar, Rouf A. (17 March 2019). "J&K: Ex-IAS officer Shah Faesal launches political party, says he admires Imran Khan, Kejriwal". India Today. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  18. ^ a b c d e Jeelani, Gulam (20 February 2016). "Shehla Rashid, firebrand Kashmiri, leading JNU students' fightback". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  19. ^ Sathwika, Uma (15 February 2020), "Shehla Rashid: Biography, Works, Politics & Controversies!", Sociology Group, retrieved 6 December 2020
  20. ^ "Shehla Rashid becomes first Kashmiri girl to win JNU polls". Business Standard. PTI. 14 September 2015.
  21. ^ a b Kapur, Manavi (17 March 2016). Meet Shehla Rashid, the firebrand JNU leader, Rediff News. Retrieved on 18 May 2020.
  22. ^ Sharma, Kritika (22 November 2018). "What Kanhaiya Kumar, Shehla Rashid & Umar Khalid plan to do with their JNU PhDs". The Print. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  23. ^ "Researchers see need to change Internet laws". The Hindu. 13 April 2013.
  24. ^ "It's not just the government which misuses Section 66A". Firstpost. 26 March 2013.[permanent dead link‍]
  25. ^ "Kashmir girl group forced to disband". India Today. 2 February 2013.
  26. ^ Ashiq, Peerzada (2 February 2013). "After online threats, Kashmir's first all-girls rock band may fall silent". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  27. ^ "After online threats, Rock on, says CM to Kashmir's first all-girl band". Times of India. 3 February 2013.
  28. ^ "Student election to JNU gender panel begins". The Hindu. 30 March 2014.
  29. ^ Shahin, Jushna (22 April 2014). "GSCASH at JNU – A Significant Step towards Gender Equality". The Companion.
  30. ^ Sen, Rukmini (3 October 2017). "To Promote Contemporary Feminist Politics, We Need Sexual Harassment Watchdog Bodies". The Wire (India).
  31. ^ ‘Student activism has been crushed in Kashmir’, The Hindu, 15 September 2015
  32. ^ "Shehla Rashid becomes first Kashmiri girl to win JNU polls]". The Times of India. PTI. 14 September 2015.
  33. ^ JNUSU leader condemns ban on student politics in Valley, India Today, 19 September 2015.
  34. ^ In Pictures: #OccupyUGC protests against scrapping of fellowships for PhD and MPhil students, Scroll.in, 22 October 2015.
  35. ^ ‘Occupy UGC’: Students march to MHRD, detained, The Statesman, 19 November 2015.
  36. ^ Kamal Mitra Chenoy, How Kanhaiya Kumar went from 'anti-national' to freedom icon, Daily O, 5 March 2016.
  37. ^ Das, Raj (15 February 2016). "Watch JNU Student Union VP Make A Powerful Speech Against The Arrest Of Their President". ScoopWhoop.
  38. ^ Shankar, Aranya (15 February 2016). "Arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar: Human chain on JNU campus as teachers demand 'arbitrary charges' be dropped". Indian Express.
    Note that the Indian Express article mentions the march but does not mention Shehla Rashid Shora.
  39. ^ Sebastian, Kritika Sharma (19 February 2016). "Thousands join march in support of JNU students". The Hindu.
    The Hindu (19 February 2016) said that "around 10,000 people joined" the march. The Hindustan Times (20 February 2016) wrote that Shehla Rashid said that there were 15,000 marchers, but the police said 5,000.
  40. ^ "JNU students march to parliament, Demand repeal of sedition law". The Times of India. PTI. 2 March 2016.
  41. ^ "AMU Students Union invites JNU's Shehla Rashid for leadership talk, then files FIR against her". India Today. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  42. ^ Kaur, Gurmehar (30 October 2018). "Why can't Shehla Rashid celebrate Sinead O'Connor's embrace of Islam?". The Print. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  43. ^ Ali, Asim (10 November 2018). "Sinead O'Connor, Shehla Rashid and the Only 'Good Muslims'". The Wire. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  44. ^ ""Can't Deal With Such Hate": Activist Shehla Rashid Quits Twitter". NDTV. Press Trust of India. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  45. ^ "Pulwama attack aftermath: FIR against Shehla Rashid for tweet on trapped Kashmiri girls". India Today. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  46. ^ "Shehla Rashid booked for spreading fake news on Twitter". The Financial Express (India). 18 February 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  47. ^ "Do NOT circulate fake news saying Kashmiri students are being harassed: CRPF". The Times of India. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  48. ^ Bajpai, Namita (18 February 2019). "JNU researcher Shehla Rashid booked by Dehradun police for 'rumour mongering'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  49. ^ "Lawyer files complaint against Shehla Rashid over comments on Kashmir". Hindustan Times. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  50. ^ "J&K: Army rejects Shehla Rashid's allegations on situation in Kashmir". India Today. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  51. ^ "Army denies Shehla Rashid's claims of excesses by security forces in J&K". Times of India. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  52. ^ "Indian Army denies Shehla Rashid's allegations on military; complaint filed seeking her arrest". India TV. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  53. ^ "'Baseless and rejected': Indian Army on allegations made by Shehla Rashid on J&K". DNA. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  54. ^ "Complaint filed against Shehla Rashid for spreading fake news, SC lawyer seeks criminal action". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  55. ^ "Criminal complaint filed against Shehla Rashid under sedition charges". The Times of India. ANI. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  56. ^ Rashid, Shehla (20 November 2023). "Muslims must let go of victimhood. India is far more secular than West, writes Shehla Rashid". ThePrint. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  57. ^ "Shehla Rashid Responds To X User Claiming 'BJP Ticket Coming Her Way' For Praising Modi, Shah". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  58. ^ News Desk (16 November 2023). "JNU activist Shehla Rashid calls PM Modi 'selfless', praises Amit Shah". The Siasat Daily. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  59. ^ Javaid, Azaan (9 October 2019). "Shehla Rashid quits politics, former IAS officer Shah Faesal could be next". ThePrint. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  60. ^ https://www.livemint.com/news/india/pm-modi-amit-shah-ensured-bloodless-political-solution-shehla-rashid-kashmir-not-gaza-jnu-bharat-tere-tukde-slogans/amp-11700012916966.html [bare URL]
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