New Delhi, April 18: Delhi University is under scrutiny due to a series of troubling caste-based attacks on one of its constituent colleges and on campus.
During a rally commemorating Jyotiba Phule Jayanti, students raised the blue flag of Ambedkar at the Law Faculty in North Campus. However, the next day, they found the flag replaced by a saffron flag in a corner.
Upon investigation, CCTV footage revealed that the offenders belonged to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Priyam Sharma, a union member and secretary at Law Faculty Centre No. 2, has been identified as the main suspect.
Hitesh, a member of the Student Federation of India and a student at the Law Faculty, described a protest organized on 15th April at North Campus in response to this abuse of power and caste discrimination.
“We united with various organizations to oppose the offenders,” disclosed Hitesh.
“We submitted a formal request to the dean of the Law faculty and the proctor of Delhi University, demanding Sharma’s resignation and disciplinary action.”
Hitesh noted that although the administration hasn’t made a statement, the dean has promised an independent investigation.
Another incident affecting Dalit and Bahujan students took place at Sri Venkateswara College in Delhi University’s South Campus.
On April 12th, during a debate on reservation in an informal group of 1st Year students from the Hindi department, an alleged ABVP member directed casteist insults at Bahujan students and disrespected Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Shantanu Singh, president of Delhi University’s All India Students Association, mentioned that the victim reported the incident to the Internal Complaints Committee and the college administration.
“So far, neither party has responded. However, we have heard that several professors and elected student representatives of the ICC are discouraging the student from pursuing the matter,” the student leader claimed.
He further accused an unnamed professor from the department of “intimidating” the victim in class to dissuade them from lodging a complaint.
“Considering that many professors are linked with RSS, this revelation is not surprising,” Shantanu added.
The Mooknayak also spoke with some students to understand the general atmosphere at the college and university.
Suraj, a student from the Hindi Department at Sri Venkateswara College, mentioned feeling safe on campus overall, with the recent incident being the first encounter with casteism there.
He added, “However, some liberal professors feel constrained and unable to address issues directly, even in their classes.”
In contrast, Avanti, a member of Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch and a student at Delhi University, offered a different viewpoint. They mentioned that such incidents have been on the rise on campuses in recent years.
Avanti continued, “There appears to be a connection between Right-Wingers and college administration, limiting our avenues for action.”
