Know Dr. Shobhana Narlikar: The Dalit Prof from BHU Who Has Warned Satyagraha—Here Are Her Demands

Varanasi- At Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi district, the Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Dr. Shobhana Narlikar, held a press conference on Thursday, leveling serious allegations against several university officials for years of harassment and obtaining promotions through fabricated documents.

Originally from Maharashtra and belonging to the Dalit community, Dr. Shobhna Narlikar accused the university's Rector Professor Sanjay Kumar, Registrar Arun Kumar Singh, Faculty Head Professor M.S. Pandey, and Professor Anurag Dave of systematic harassment, arbitrary fund allocation from the university's special fund, and securing promotions through fraudulent and manipulated documentation.

She demanded that her complete administrative rights as a departmental head be reinstated and that an investigation be conducted against the implicated individuals, warning that she would be compelled to launch a satyagraha (peaceful protest) if her demands were not met.

Dr. Narlikar elaborated, "Since becoming the departmental head, I have consistently attempted to prevent the systematic embezzlement of self-financed course funds. Periodically, former faculty heads, including Professors Shishir Vasu and Anurag Dave, have been complicit in misappropriating funds through fraudulent documents and circumventing established regulations. The most recent example involves the current Faculty Head, Professor M.S. Pandey, who, in collaboration with Professor Anurag Dave, arbitrarily allocated funds from the university's special fund."

She further stated, "I humbly request through this press conference to the Prime Minister and Varanasi MP, Narendra Modi, along with the Rector, Registrar, Faculty Head, and other officials: if my complete administrative rights are not restored and an investigation is not initiated against these fraudulent faculty members - specifically Professors Anurag Dave, Dr. Swarna Suman, Dr. Dheerendra Rai, and Dr. Amita - then within a week, as a Dalit woman who has been oppressed, I will be compelled to launch a satyagraha, for which the university administration and central government will bear full responsibility."

Key Controversies Surrounding Dr. Narlikar

It is noteworthy that Dr. Narlikar has previously leveled harassment allegations against university officials. In January 2021, she staged a demonstration in front of the central office, alleging systematic mental exploitation due to her Dalit identity. She claimed that administrative officers and departmental professors had been persistently harassing her since 2013, affecting her seniority by repeatedly placing her on leave without pay, despite performing regular duties.

Dr. Narlikar joined BHU's Journalism Department as an Assistant Professor on August 19, 2002, already holding a PhD. Two days later, Dr. Anurag Dave also joined the department as an Assistant Professor, though he was not a PhD holder at the time.

Approximately two years ago, in 2023, a video of Dr. Narlikar went viral showing her holding a slipper and speaking sternly to students. When The Mooknayak inquired about this, she responded, "The video was manipulated. It was edited and circulated by the very individuals against whom I had previously raised allegations."

Dr. Shobhana had filed a case under the SC/ST Act against Professor Pankaj Kumar. Angered by this, a group of 65 teachers approached the Vice-Chancellor with a complaint. At that time, the Vice-Chancellor had assured a judicial investigation of allegations from both sides. A committee led by retired Justice Kalimullah was also formed. Several students had also staged protests against her. However, regarding student protests, Dr. Shobhana states, "At that time, university's Bhumihar students were instigated to stage demonstrations against me."

Similarly, she had filed a case under the SC/ST Act against Professor Shishir Basu. However, a Varanasi court acquitted him nearly 10 years later in 2022. The court's order noted that while the victim had alleged harassment since 2003, she took a decade to file the complaint.

Discussing this with The Mooknayak, Dr. Shobhana explained, "In this case, I lacked witnesses, so the court dismissed it. My witness - my driver - was bought off by Basu. He is a local resident, while I'm from Maharashtra! When Basu sexually harassed me, my driver, peon, and others had witnessed it. But no one wanted to help a woman. In such cases, one must first approach BHU before going to court. I visited BHU, the SC-ST Commission, Women's Commission, UGC, Human Rights Commission. After these visits, I approached the High Court, which then sent my case to the lower court. This entire process took me six years."

She further stated, "Since becoming department head, all meetings have been held in the Dean's cabin. No files come to me for signature. Despite being department head, I have no administrative authority."

The Mooknayak attempted to contact BHU's Vice-Chancellor for comment, but no response was received by the time of publication.