All India Students' Association Won’t Normalise Signing Peace Bonds: Neha Bora

NEW DELHI: All India Students' Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora on Saturday pointed out the “primary contradiction” between the executive issuing peace bonds even though the Constitution allows for the right to dissent. She asserted that peace bonds were being “weaponised” to curb democratic protests.

She said that AISA, the student wing of CPI(ML) Liberation, will not be a part of “normalising” the signing of peace bonds. Bora argued that signing such peace bonds was “no less than” signing away the democratic right to dissent.

“On one side, the constitution gives us the right to dissent. On the other hand, such peace bonds are invoked only to detain people in the name of breach of peace. We were detained within 10 minutes of protesting at Mandi House on October 16 and told that we are in breach of peace. Peace bonds are being weaponised to curb democratic protests. Therefore, signing such peace bonds is a principally wrong decision for us. It is no less than signing away our democratic right to dissent,” Bora said while addressing a press conference here.

She remained firm on challenging such peace bonds in future while arguing that courts or the “custodians of law and constitutional morality” must understand the contradiction it brings to the fore.

“We are hopeful that those who are custodians of law and constitutional morality – the courts – will understand this primary contradiction. They will understand that implementations of such peace bonds are snatching away our right to dissent,” Bora said. (ANI)