Delhi University – You may be busy with syllabus and semesters throughout the year, but the atmosphere of the campus changes as soon as the student union elections come. Till now, conflicts among student groups were common, but for the last few years, ‘student leaders’ have dominated the college administration. In this series, on October 16, University’s B.R. A video of Ambedkar College (BRAC) surfaced.
DUSU inside BRAC located in Yamuna Vihar (Delhi University Student Union) President Aryan Mann and Joint Secretary Deepika Jha had arrived. Here, after an altercation, Deepika slaps the professor twice. That too in front of the principal and policemen and no one else can do anything.
Sujit Kumar – The name may sound common, but the responsibility was big. Teaches commerce, and is also the chairman of the discipline committee of the college. But see the irony – the same discipline in-charge was slapped in front of everyone inside the principal’s room.
Sujit Kumar says, ‘If you want to understand what happened on October 16, you will have to go back one day.’ Meaning, the story does not start with a slap, its role was written a day before.
NSUI vs ABVP fight, came on professor
Sujit says, ‘Actually this fight was not about a single slap or a single day, it was the result of the old tussle between NSUI and ABVP.’ Explaining this, he said, there are many colleges of DU which are not affiliated with DUSU because they are autonomous or off-campus.
These are colleges of DU but they have no connection with Delhi University Students Union. In such colleges, only college level selection is conducted and not university level selection.
BRAC is also not in DUSU. But to remain connected with the students, student organizations field candidates in these colleges in their own names.
Sujit says, ‘ABVP wanted to establish its hold in the college elections. The candidate who was standing with the support of NSUI was not being allowed to file his nomination.
It was now Sujit’s responsibility to maintain discipline – he was the chairman of the college’s discipline committee, the “small police” within the campus. Their job was to maintain calm, prevent fights, and recommend action when necessary.
Now somehow Rajvardhan Singh, the candidate standing with the support of NSUI, filled the nomination. He also became the president after winning the election. But on September 23, the same Rajvardhan again came to Sujeet’s room – this time with a complaint. His allegation was that some ABVP supporting students forcibly pushed him out of the union room.
The name of one student was common in all the allegations of Rajvardhan. Himanshu Chaudhary. He was also suspended after being accused of beating NSUI supporters. But Sujit claims that he continued coming to college even after suspension.
Now 15th October has come i.e. the day of oath taking of the college student union. According to Sujit, during the event, student Himanshu along with his friends was roaming around raising some indecent slogans along with NSUI Murdabad. A professor from the college was encouraging those students and even after Sujit’s explanation, they did not agree.
Recalling that day, Sujit says, ‘After the oath-taking, dancing was going on on the DJ. The principal had some work, so he left the college leaving the entire responsibility of the program on me. Just then President Rajvardhan came running to me and said that Himanshu and his friends are beating me sir, you come along.
According to Sujit, when they reached the spot near the canteen, Himanshu was standing there. While Sujit was interrogating him, a professor came and took Himanshu’s side, then accused him of conspiracy against ABVP. Meanwhile, Rajvardhan had called PCR. The matter was inside the college. So the police did not register the complaint.
But the Discipline Committee had decided that they would give a final warning to student Himanshu and if anything happened again, they would rusticate him. According to Sujit, somehow the pro-AVBP students got wind of this and they called DUSU leaders Aryan Mann and Deepika Jha to the college on 16 October.
Teachers became shields in the staff room
Sujeet says, ‘Aryan Mann and Deepika entered the staff room on the first floor with about 60-70 students. All of them were moving towards me as if they were going to attack me. But the teachers and non-teaching staff stood in front of me like a shield. It was the female teachers who stopped Deepika from coming towards me.
Meanwhile, the college administration had called the police. Seeing the increasing crowd of students, the police made Sujit sit in the principal’s office on the ground floor.
Sujit says, ‘Just then from somewhere, along with Aryan Maan and Deepika, some other people also came to the principal room. They started saying something to me in abusive language. The police somehow made him sit.
Sujit further explains – ‘Deepika and Aryan directly told me that you are conspiring against ABVP, deliberately taking action against ABVP workers, and hence you will have to step down from the Discipline Committee.’
Sujeet says, ‘I said – Okay, here I resign. I immediately posted the resignation on the committee’s social media group. My entire team had submitted their resignations on the spot.
But the story did not end here. Deepika said, “This will not work, give it in writing.” Sujit’s reply was, ‘Okay, ask for the paper, I will give it in writing right now.’
She sat equal to him and slapped him
After this both Deepika and Aryan went out. Then after some time he came back and said that you smoke cigarettes in college. We have proof of this. I said I drink outside the college, not inside.
After this Deepika suddenly came and sat next to me. I told the SHO to remove them from here. Within no time Deepika stood up and slapped me twice. The police and the principal kept watching.
On the allegations against him, Sujit Kumar says – ‘It has been 32 years since I have been teaching, there is some time left for retirement, and now such allegations are being made which will probably be remembered for the rest of my life. Character assassination is more painful than a slap.
He further explains, ‘Deepika alleged that I stared at her, laughed at her, whereas the truth is that she must have been in the principal room for more than an hour, and in total I did not look at her properly even for a minute. She is saying that I called her dirty words, whereas in the entire video it will be clearly seen that I just said – ‘You talk to the principal. Deepika is saying that I come to college after drinking alcohol, think for yourself if this had happened, would the staff have elected me and made me the chairman of the discipline committee.
Sujit further alleges that even the principal did not support him in this matter. At present two separate committees have been formed at university and college level. But both of them have not contacted him (the victim) even after a week has passed.
Sujit said, ‘Instead of suspending student leader Deepika, the Vice Chancellor has simply formed a committee. Whereas all the evidence is clearly visible in the video footage. The professor also alleges that the police and the principal have not yet given him a copy of the FIR registered in the case.
What did BRAC President say?
On this matter we have consulted B.R. Also spoke to Rajvardhan Singh, President of Ambedkar College. He simply said that he was assaulted on October 15. He had gone home early on 16th October, hence he did not have much information about Deepika Jha’s slapping incident.
At present the college is closed from 17th and studies will resume on 27th. That is, the campus is silent at the moment, but the buzz of student politics and controversy is still echoing within the walls. In such a situation, whoever returns to the campus after the holidays, will have to face the same old political disputes and pressure.
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