A lecture at Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College for Women by retired diplomat Deepak Vohra has drawn flak from the students' union, which termed his alleged remarks "misogynistic" and "derogatory".
Vohra did not respond to a query about the allegations.
The session, organised on September 11 by the B.A. Programme Department and titled 'Unstoppable India 2047', was billed as a discussion on India's future in policy and diplomacy.
In an official statement, the LSR Students' Union alleged, "The address was marked by comments that were not only divisive but also misogynistic, derogatory..."
"Such statements have no place in an academic institution and their delivery on our campus was a direct violation of our values and intellectual standards," it said.
According to the statement, the union objected to Vohra's alleged remark about wishing to be reborn as a man after the principal suggested being reborn as a woman to study at LSR.
"This revealed a mindset that reflects a deeply ingrained misogyny. We demand a public apology from him," the union said in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}"This revealed a mindset that reflects a deeply ingrained misogyny. We demand a public apology from him," the union said in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}A slide from Vohra's presentation, titled 'Bharat's Four Azaadis', described 1947 as the freedom of "our bodies", 2022 as the freedom of "our minds" (linked to the Netaji statue), 2023 as the freedom of "our confidence" (Chandrayaan-3) and 2024 as the freedom of "our souls" (Ram temple).