PUNE: We only condemn the atrocities but do not ask why these atrocities happen in the first place, was the fiery comment of a participant on caste reservation at the second national convention of students for human rights, a three-day event that concluded at ILS Law College on Sunday.

Human rights were explored from all possible angles, right from naxalism and people’s movements to the Kashmir conflict, communalism, sexuality, child rights, female foeticide and special economic zones. The Delhi-based Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) was the organiser of the convention.

Executive Director, HRLN Harsh Dobhal said, “The senior breed of activists is dwindling and there is a need to sensitise the young generation to these issues, to expose them to situations and critical thinking. These three days have been fruitful.”

The convention had many students from Maharashtra while others were from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Kashmir and Gujarat.

 “Pune is a metro city but we have held such conventions in Itanagar, Guwahati,  Imphal and Kashmir that are located in conflict zones and the debates there have been interesting,” said Dobhal.

Social activist Pushpa Bhave, advocate Varsha Deshpande, social activist and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) professor Ram Puniyani, leader of Bahujan movement Dr Suresh Mane and documentary film-maker Anand Patwardhan were some of the speakers at the convention.

Khairunnisa, studying peace and conflict studies at Islamic University of Science and Technology, Avantipur, Kashmir, said, “When in Kashmir I felt that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is the only issue but after listening to the talks I feel there are so many issues in all parts of the country.”

Learning about the many facets of human rights and understanding how these laws can be used is what the young lawyers, social workers and journalists do at the Rajendra Patole’s organisation in Akola that works for Dalit rights.

For students from the V M Salgaocar College of Law, Goa, the different opinions and perspectives have been interesting. “The talks on Tibet, Kashmir and student politics were among the best at the convention,” said students of Kerala Law Academy’s Law College, Trivandrum.