DU teacher alleges manhandling by V-C guards at SRCC meet

Drama ensued at an academic conference in Shri Ram College for Commerce on Saturday where the vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh was addressing teachers and students.

Drama ensued at an academic conference in Shri Ram College for Commerce on Saturday where the vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh was addressing teachers and students.

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According to a statement issued by senior teacher Sanjaya Kumar Bohidar, he was manhandled and pushed out of the auditorium when he tried to put up a question to Singh.

“Professor Dinesh Singh was to address students and teachers today in the college auditorium at 10.00 am. I stood up before the vice-chancellor started his address and had politely and barely uttered “May I take a minute”, when bouncers accompanying Singh rushed towards me and kept violently pushing me, even though I offered no resistance. This carried on till they made sure that I was out of the auditorium,” the statement said.

Bohidar also stated that the students and teachers were forced to attend Singh’s lecture.

“Student volunteers were sent by organisers to each class room to announce that all teachers and students “have” to be present in the auditorium. This directive itself was unprecedented and undesirable. Many seminars and conferences are held in the college and it is left to students and teachers to voluntarily participate,” the statement added.

Many are pegging the action on Bohidar’s anti-VC stance in matters of reforms, such as the semester system and the four-year-degree programme. Bohidar is also the legal advisor in the Delhi University Teacher’s Association.

The incident has created a controversy in the campus, which many believe is turning out to be more and more intolerant of criticism.

Some teachers at SRCC, however, have a different version to tell. “It was not the VC’s guards but teachers from the college itself who pushed Bohidar outside the auditorium. It could have been done to gain favour with the vice-chancellor,” said a teacher.

Dinesh Singh, however, chose not to comment on the matter.