Lucknow: A day after the videos of students raising slogans against “Brahmanvaad” (Brahmins superiority) and “Baniyavaad” (capitalism) at Ashoka University campus went viral on the Internet, the varsity has promised action against the “guilty” students. 

“Ashoka University attaches great value to freedom of expression and vigorous debate, but it also attaches great importance to mutual respect. The university deplores expressions of hatred directed against any individual or group,” reads a statement released by the university.

Making the atmosphere intimidating, threatening or hostile to individuals or groups is regarded as a serious offence, said the varsity, adding that those involved will face disciplinary actions. 

“The university will take all measures necessary to ensure that peace and harmony in the campus is not disturbed,” it said.

However, responding to the administration, Social Justice Forum, the student outfit that is spearheading the demand of caste census, clarified that the slogans of “Brahmanvad Murdabad” and “Baniavaad Murdabad ” have been misread.

It said the cry is to dismantle the systemic impulses that enable the discriminatory caste system prevalent in India. 

The statement released by the forum cites Dr BR Ambedkar to assert that  Brahminism is an ideology that harms not just “lower” castes but also a larger group of Hindus. 

Speaking to The Mooknayak, a leader of the group, said, “Right wing social media handles are distorting and diverting the motivation of the protests by selective interpretation of some slogans, due to which we are being threatened on social media.” 

He said the forum is against “Baniavaad” in the context of Ashoka University’s Brahmin-Bania nexus, where Baniyas (a caste generally consisting of money lenders and merchants) and the Brahmins are teachers. He alleged education has been commodified in the university. 

He said that his organization will not be deterred by these intimidations and instead intensify its agitation, demanding caste census. He clarified the students are not at all against any community. 

Poor Representation of Marginalized 

Ashoka University is India’s premier interdisciplinary research and teaching institution. With over 3,000 students and 20 dedicated research centres, it offers opportunities in fields ranging from arts to natural sciences. 

The university is said to have a steep fee structure, which the students from the weaker sections find to be quite unaffordable.

It is noteworthy that certain sections of the students are demanding caste census in the university to determine the diversity of the students and faculty in the private institution.

The students have cited certain surveys and reports to highlight the skewed representation of the marginalized sections like the Scheduled Caste (SC), the Scheduled Tribe (ST) and the Other Backward Classes (OBC) amongst the students. 

According to the student’s data submitted by the university for the year 2023, the representation of SC, ST and OBC students is a measly 6.8% (124 students out of 1823) within the undergraduate cohort and 7.6% (31 students out of 404). 

Further the National Institute Ranking Framework (BIRF) data shows that 11.4% of the varsity’s undergraduate population in 2022 belonged to SC, ST, or OBC communities.

The collation of the two sets of data leads to the inference that the diversity standards of the university have only worsened.

Allegedly, no response from the vice-chancellor prompted the students to stage a sit-in-protest on the campus for seven days. The protestors subsequently moved their agitation outside the campus gates when the vice-chancellor allegedly rejected their demands, offering alternatives, which the students found to be flimsy.

The students, which includes both girls and boys, are staging their sit-in-protest in the open sky for the last four days. 

‘Standard of Public Institutions Deliberately Degraded’

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Professor Vikram from Allahabad University said, “There should be reservation in private sector and private educational institutions also as these universities get incentives from the government in the form of tax exemptions.” 

Claiming that the educational standard of the public institutions have been deliberately degraded to promote the private universities, he said keeping the SC/ST/OBC students out of the private educational institutes will jeopardize their future. 

He also said that Dr Ambedkar supported reservation in the private sector as well as he supported it in government contracts.

There are about 450 private universities in India, and they do not provide reservation to the marginalised sections of the society.