Gauri Memorial Trust marks Gauri Day as Gen Z Day in Bengaluru

At a Bengaluru event marking Gauri Day as Gen Z Day, student leaders placed Gauri Lankesh’s 2017 murder at the centre of a wider discussion on dissent and democratic rights.

AISA joint secretary Danish Ali said she had been a school student when Lankesh was killed, and described the murder as shaping her understanding of the risks of speaking against Hindutva extremism. Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s references to young people as friends, she said: “We are not friends of the people who are responsible for killing people like Gauri Lankesh.”

SFI national joint secretary Aishe Ghosh said Lankesh’s life offered young people an example of asserting their right to hold opinions, exchange ideas and dissent. She said students had found it harder to speak on issues affecting marginalised and minority communities, and warned against treating political neutrality as safety.

CJP national spokesperson and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka criticised the condition of government schools, arguing that it reflected a lack of political will rather than only a shortage of funds. Speakers also voiced concern over communalism and the commercialisation and privatisation of education.