Devangana Kalita is a student from JNU, a women’s rights activist and a founding member of Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage), a student association that raises issues of women’s freedom, gender equality and other social issues. He is best known for his role in the anti-CAA protests.
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Wiki/Biography
Devangana Kalita was born on Friday, June 17, 1989 (age 31 years; as of 2020) in Dibrugarh, Assam. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Miranda House University in Delhi in 2010.
Devangana Kalita with her friend Namisha Aggarwal after graduation in 2010
After that, she traveled to the United Kingdom to pursue a Master of Arts program in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. After completing his post-graduate studies in the UK, he returned to India as he did not intend to stay there. He returned to Delhi and enrolled at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Center for Historical Studies for an MA in History. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree at JNU’s Center for Women’s Studies.
Physical appearance
Hair color: black
Eye Color: Black
family and caste
Devangana Kalita was born in an Assamese family.
parents and siblings
Kalita’s father, Dr. Hem Chandra Kalita, is a cardiologist practicing at Assam Medical College and Hospital, while her mother is a homemaker.
relationships
Devangana met her future husband (name unknown) while she was interning at Seva Mandir, an NGO in Udaipur. The couple later got married in 2014 in the United Kingdom.
Cage Toddy
In 2015, Jamia Millia Islamia, a central university in Delhi, changed entry for girls from 10 pm the night before and imposed an 8 pm curfew for girls living in their hostels, while no such restrictions were imposed for boys. Jamia girls protested the decision. Inspired by the Jamia protest, similar protests erupted in other universities and students took to the streets. A Facebook page called ‘Pinjra Tod: Break the Hostel locks’ was started by Devangana and her friends. The campaign received a huge response and women from different parts of India said they were sending in their stories, which they would post on the Facebook page. The movement that initially started from the days of online hostels for women’s freedom has spread its wings to fight various social issues prevalent in the society. Here is a video where Devanagana discusses the story behind the rise of pinjra toddy.
Arrest and Proceedings
On 23 May 2020, Devangana along with her compatriot and fellow Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal were arrested by the police under FIR 48/2020 for their presence in the anti-CAA-NRC protest on 22 and 23 February, a day before the riots in Delhi. The next day, on 24 May 2020, a Delhi court released them on bail, saying there was no evidence against them to show their role in inciting the violence. The court also struck down IPC Section 353 (assault or criminal force to prevent a public servant from discharging his duty) against them, saying it was “impossible” and that they were “merely protesting the NRC and CAA”. The release did not last long. On the same day, the Special Investigation Team of the Crime Department filed another FIR (50/2020) with serious charges of murder, attempt to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy and sought to re-arrest them. The court remanded them in two-day pretrial detention. On 30 May 2020, Devangana was re-arrested in a third FIR (250/2019), this FIR related to the violence that broke out in Delhi’s Darya Ganj area. Again, on June 2, 2020, the court granted them bail in the FIR. On 5 June 2020, the Delhi Police again arrested Devangana Kalita and Narwal in a fourth FIR (59/2020) and also slapped the stringent anti-terrorism law UAPA on them. They were arrested three times in ten days. The Delhi Police charged them with 33 offences, including murder, terrorism, rioting, criminal conspiracy and sedition. Three months later, on 1 September 2020, the Delhi High Court granted him bail in connection with FIR 50/2020, calling his detention illegal. (Click here to read the judgment) Devangana is still in Tihar jail as the court has not granted her bail in the remaining one of the four FIRs registered against her. On 29 January 2021, a Delhi court rejected his bail plea in the northeast Delhi riots case; Rejecting the bail plea, Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat said the allegations against Kalita prima facie appear to be true.
Facts/Trivia
- While studying at Miranda House University in Delhi, Devanagana successfully contested student elections as an independent candidate and was elected as the vice-president.
- Devangana is never satisfied with the status quo, she is always willing to question the system to change things for the betterment of society.
- She is interested in poetry, stargazing, and a side of progressive politics.
- She likes to relieve stress through artistic activities such as painting.
Artwork by Devangana Kalita
- Fish, duck, pork and rice are among Devangana’s favorite dishes.
Categories: Politics
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
