Dalit student movement at BBAU concludes amidst controversy over anti-national slogans

Lucknow— The 8-day demonstration staged by the Dalit pupils of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University was terminated in the late hours of Friday. The protesting students plan to present their demands to President Draupadi Murmu , who is slated to visit the institution on February 13.

One of the protesting student, Basant Kanojia, said that the hope of the students now rests solely with the President as they plan to present their demands to her upon her arrival on the campus. Despite being granted access to their hostels, the student claims that there has been no official, written confirmation of the rescission of their "suspension" by the university administration.

The Controversy

The demonstration was initiated on January 27th, following a recent occurrence in which two residents of the Sanghamitra Hostel, Sanskriti Agarwal and Shanti Dutta, insulted the legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The event was sparked when another hostel resident, Kalpana Saroj, requested that a photo of Baba Saheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar be honored with a garland during the Saraswati Puja celebration held in the women's hostel on January 26th.

No suspension, says Varsity admin

In a conversation with The Mooknayak, the Proctor of the university, BB Malik, said that there was no actual "suspension" imposed. Instead, he stated that the university merely advised the parents of the students to recall their children for a period of 15 days. He also stated that the students have now been granted temporary access to the hostels, including the accused Sanskriti Agarwal and Shanti Dutta.

Row over anti-national slogans

However, on Friday, the situation took a turn when supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) claimed that anti-national slogans inciting sedition were chanted during a foot march held on February 1st within the university campus. In response, a group of students under the banner of the ABVP staged a sit-in protest outside the residence of the Vice-Chancellor, demanding action against those responsible. The protest was ended after the students submitted a memorandum to the Vice Chancellor, Sanjay Singh.

In response to the allegations, Gaurav Verma, a student from the law faculty who was participating in the protest, stated that the slogans they were chanting during the foot march, "Brahmanvaad se Aazadi, Manuvaad Se Azaadi," were not secessionist in nature. The Mooknayak attempted to reach out to the ABVP students for comment but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, BB Malik, the Proctor of the university, stated to The Mooknayak that he had received a letter regarding the issue from some students but had not yet had the opportunity to read it.

The claims of anti-national slogans being raised during the protest have the potential to escalate into a new controversy, but the administration appears to have breathed a sigh of relief now that the 8-day long sit-in demonstration has ended.