A controversy erupted at Delhi’s Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College on Thursday after professor Sujit Kumar was allegedly slapped by Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) joint secretary and ABVP member Deepika Jha during a disciplinary committee meeting.
The incident, which took place in the presence of Delhi Police personnel has sparked a strong backlash from teachers and student organisations, prompting the Delhi University to form an inquiry committee.
A senior police officer confirmed that a complaint has been received and the matter is under investigation. “We have received the complaint late evening. The video has been seen by investigators. They are obtaining CCTV footage now. The matter is being inquired into,” the officer said.
‘I felt angry, raised my hand’
Jha admitted to slapping Kumar but said it was in response to verbal abuse and inappropriate behavior. She told HT, “During the interaction, when I told him that I saw him smoking in public and that does not leave a good impression on students, he verbally abused me. ”
She added that he had been “staring” at her and “smirking” despite her expressing discomfort, and it was only after his verbal abuse that she slapped him, which she acknowledged she should not have done.
{{/usCountry}}She added that he had been “staring” at her and “smirking” despite her expressing discomfort, and it was only after his verbal abuse that she slapped him, which she acknowledged she should not have done.
{{/usCountry}}She also released an apology video Friday morning, claiming that Kumar had “threatened and stared at her in front of police” and was allegedly inebriated. “After seeing all this, I felt angry and raised my hand. I regret the incident and I apologise to the teachers’ community. It was not my intention to hurt anyone’s sentiments,” she added.
Kumar, however, disputed her version, alleging that ABVP members barged into the meeting uninvited. He said the confrontation followed a oath-taking ceremony at the college, where some students allegedly attacked the elected college president.
“Our college students do not vote for the DUSU but have a college student council. Three posts on that council were unopposed and occupied by ABVP members. A student from the NSUI had won the president post,” he said.
He further added, “About a month ago, this same NSUI kid was beaten up by ABVP members because he wanted to contest for the post. We got a video of the same, and I suspended three students affiliated to the ABVP till September 30. Now, on Wednesday, during the event, one of the students who had been suspended beat up the NSUI student in front of me and other committee members.”
The commerce professor claimed ABVP members sided with the students involved in the scuffle, and he was later pressured to resign. “After that, a student named Deepika came and slapped me, as captured in the video clip,” he told news agency ANI.
Disciplinary meeting called after student scuffle
The meeting, convened by Sujit Kumar, was called to discuss the recent incident of violence involving ABVP members allegedly assaulting other students, according to the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF).
A 32-second video, apparently from CCTV footage, shows Kumar sitting on a sofa next to Jha with several unidentified people around. Four police personnel are also visible. As the discussion escalates, Jha is seen standing and allegedly slapping Kumar. A female cop intervenes, seating Jha away, while an unidentified man pushes Kumar back into his seat.
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
DU forms inquiry committee
In response, Delhi University has constituted a six-member inquiry committee, chaired by Professor Neeta Sehgal from the Department of Zoology, to investigate the assault. The committee is expected to submit a factual report within two weeks, as directed by Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh.
The incident has drawn strong reactions from university teachers. The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) held a protest on the north campus on Friday.
Student organisations like the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) have also condemned the incident and called on the university administration to hold all responsible parties accountable.
(With inputs from Aheli Das in New Delhi)