E-Paper
Protest at BHU after V-C attends iftar at Mahila Mahavidyalay
Tradition of organizing iftar at BHU is over two decades old. Attempts to disturb peace and academic atmosphere of the university are unacceptable and condemnable, says varsity admn
VARANASI A group of students associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) protested against a roza iftar that was organised at the BHU’s Mahila Mahavidyalay (MMV) on Wednesday night. They also torched an effigy of BHU vice-chancellor Sudhir K Jain, who participated in the iftar party with several officials of the university.
Subsequently, the V-C held a dialogue with students and teachers and assured them of more facilities in the MMV.
Others present at the iftar were BHU rector VK Shukla, registrar Arun Kumar Singh, Bhuvan Chandra Kapri, Nishat Afroz, Rana Noor, Sabina Bano, Gautam Geeta Jeevatram, Momita Das and Divya Kushwaha among others.
“Iftar was never organised like this at the MMV. Why has this new thing started? We strongly oppose it,” said Shubham, a member of the ABVP’s BHU unit.
Patanjali, a research scholar and ABVP member, said, “Roza iftar was never organised in the MMV like this. BHU V-C Prof Jain and several officials participated in the party. We oppose it.”
The protesting students said they would again stage a protest against the iftar at the MMV.
“Roza iftar in MMV is not a new tradition. It is organised every year. It is unfortunate that a handful of people opposed it,” said Vishwanath Pandey, former public relations officer (BHU).
“Established by Bharat Ratna Mahamana Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is an inclusive space, which is globally renowned for its teaching, research and innovation,” said BHU public relations officer Rajesh Singh.
“Students from across the globe come to BHU and study in an all-inclusive atmosphere. The university follows Mahamana’s idea of inclusivity and his values and principles are in the core of BHU’s functioning as an institution. A number of festivals are celebrated in the university with members of BHU fraternity participating with mutual love, respect and harmony,” he said.
Singh said the vice-chancellor had attended the iftar at Mahila Mahavidyalay on April 27 on the invitation of students and faculty members of MMV and several other senior officials of the university were present on the occasion.
Iftar had not been organized for the past two years due to the pandemic situation. “The tradition of organizing iftar at BHU is over two decades old. Over the years, these iftars were attended by subsequent V-Cs in the capacity of head of the BHU fraternity and as per their availability on the campus. Attempts to disturb peace and academic atmosphere of the university are unacceptable and condemnable,” he added.
