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Dubbed anti-national, agitated Mandsaur college professor tries to touch ABVP activists’ feet
A 30-second video has also gone viral in social media in which Prof Dinesh Gupta of Rajiv Gandhi Government Post-graduate Degree College, Mandsaur is seen running after the activists asking them to let him touch their feet
A college professor in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur, allegedly dubbed anti-national by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists for objecting to their slogan-shouting in the campus, sought to touch the feet of the protesters, as per college administration sources.
A 30-second video has also gone viral in social media in which Prof Dinesh Gupta of Rajiv Gandhi Government Post-graduate Degree College, Mandsaur is seen running after the activists asking them to let him touch their feet as the latter also run away in a bid to allegedly avoid embarrassment. Gupta is heard saying repeatedly “....mai parhaane ka apraadh karta hun (... I commit the sin of teaching)”.
As per college administration sources, the activists of the RSS-affiliated student body led by their district president Pawan Sharma were raising slogans against the delay in declaration of examination results on Wednesday afternoon when Gupta objected, saying it was disturbing his class. Since two of their slogans were ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, the activists allegedly termed the professor a “deshdrohi” (traitor) for opposing these slogans.
In a meeting called in the principal’s office, the ABVP activists demanded an apology from the professor. When Gupta refused, the activists started following him on the campus. At this, the agitated professor tried to touch the feet of activists.
Contacted for his comment, Sharma denied any knowledge of the incident.
ABVP national executive member Ankit Garg said, “Our organisation always respect teachers and Mandsaur PG College incident is an unfortunate one. ABVP workers were protesting in the college against delay in exam results declaration. None of the activists called the professor anti-national. Prof Gupta was in an agitated mood and he started touching the activists’ feet to create a scene on the campus.”
Gupta, who proceeded on three days leave after the incident, told media persons, “They called me anti-national just for stopping them from shouting slogans during my class. They asked me to tender an apology. I said okay, I am touching your feet.”
“I have been teaching on the campus for 32 years and I am far more patriotic than them. But I can’t be compelled by anybody to demonstrate my patriotism,” he added.
College principal Ravindra Sohoni said, “It was not a big issue. The problem has been sorted out.”
Congress student wing National Students Union of India spokesperson Vivek Tripathi said: “ABVP workers were creating ruckus in the college and disturbing the classes. We will protest against it and will not tolerate such kind of behaviour.”
State Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja said the AVBP had insulted the entire teaching community by calling Gupta anti-national and the professor.was so deeply hurt by the activists’ behaviour that he had to touch their feet.
“The incident reminds people of Prof Sabharwal incident of Ujjain in which Prof Sabhawal lost his life on a college campus due to ruckus created by ABVP activists,” he said, demanding chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the entire Bharatiya Janata Party should tender an apology for the act of the activists and a criminal case should be filed against the guilty.
Professor HS Sabharawal of an Ujjain college died in 2006 after allegedly being attacked by a group of ABVP activists protesting the decision to cancel the student union elections. Six prime accused in the case were acquitted in 2009 due to “lack of evidence”.
