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BHU students’ group protests against RSS for supporting Khan
A group of students on Saturday protested against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for supporting Dr Firoz Khan’s appointment in the department of sahitya of
A group of students on Saturday protested against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for supporting Dr Firoz Khan’s appointment in the department of sahitya of faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharm Vijgyan (SVDV) in BHU.
They gheraoed Vishwa Samvad Kendra, an office of the RSS, and staged a dharna demanding that the RSS should withdraw its decision to support the appointment of Khan in the faculty of SVDV. The group is against the appointment of a Muslim as a teacher in the faculty of SVDV.
RSS, Kashi region, on Friday described the protest as “totally wrong as Khan was selected on the basis of merit.” The RSS announced its stand after a three-hour meeting of senior RSS functionaries here.
Dr Jai Prakash Lal, senior functionary of RSS, Kashi region, had said on Friday, “All aspects of the controversy regarding Khan were discussed in the meeting. It is a firm view of the RSS that the protest on communal grounds against a person, who is dedicated to teach Sanskrit and has been appointed through legal selection process, is entirely wrong. The Sangh opposes the tendency and protest.”
Enraged over the RSS decision, the students shouted slogans against it and called it anti-Hindutva. “Hindutva virodhi RSS sharm karo, sharm karo, (anti-Hindutva RSS, shame, shame). However, the students hailed BHU founder Mahamana Pt Madan Mohan Malviya by shouting “Mahamana Amar Rahe, Mahamana Amar Rahe.”
The protest went on for about an hour.
“This decision (the step to support the appointment of Khan) of the RSS is not only suicidal but also an insult to the principles of Malviya Ji and Guru Golwalkar,” said Shubham Tiwari, a student.
“If the RSS doesn’t withdraw its decision, we would launch a drive and appeal to the youths to boycott the RSS,” said Shashikant Mishra, another student.
Among the students, many are RSS volunteers. They have decided not to attend the RSS shakhas until it withdraws its decision to support Khan, Mishra said.
