A senior Dalit professor, Shanti Lal Salvi, at the Benaras Hindu University (BHU) has allegedly been attacked by students at the University for supporting his Muslim colleague, Feroz Khan’s appointment as the assistant professor in the Sanskrit department.
Speaking to reporters in Varanasi Professor Salvi said, “I was sitting in a classroom when some students barged in and started abusing me in foul language.”
“They asked me to stop supporting a Muslim’s appointment to the faculty. I felt unsafe and came out. Some of the students then hurled stones at me and later caught up with me and shoved and pushed me. I could escape because a stranger gave me a lift on his scooter,” he added.
He said that a colleague had instigated the students, but did not name him in front of the media. He affirmed, “I have complained to vice-chancellor Rakesh Bhatnagar against a professor of the department and some students.”
He has also written to the Chief Proctor O.P. Rai, accusing the senior faculty member who incited the students.
His letter, accessed by the Indian Express read, “At 12.05 pm, I was sitting in my office at the SVDV faculty when some students came to me and asked me to leave as they were closing the faculty. Soon I came out with a colleague when an outsider, Munish Mishra, along with a student, Shubham Tiwari, and others started raising slogans against me. They called me and the department HoD a thief. Soon, more students joined and started making casteist remarks. They all chased me to beat me up. Sensing that my life is in threat, I started running and after around half a kilometre, I took a lift from a bike rider to reach the central office. One of the students threw a brick at me, but he missed.”
He also told the paper that the senior professor he had accused, had harassed him in the past too and spread a rumour that his wife, who is a Ph.D. from BHU was a Muslim and Feroz Khan’s sister. He added that the reason the students attacked him was because the professor had told them that it was Salvi who had got Feroz to the University. Professor Salvi also has plans to file an FIR against the said senior faculty member.
A student who was part of the group that confronted professor Salvi, said that they had only asked the professor to stop supporting Khan and had never attacked him.
A group of professors also met the proctor to discuss the incident and he has assured that a committee will be set up to investigate the matter.
A university official told the paper, “Based on findings of the committee, action will be taken against those responsible, as per the university rules. An FIR in the case is being registered at Lanka police station in Varanasi.”
Feroz Khan’s appointment as the assistant professor at the Sanskrit department had created a row. The students, who are protesting since November 8, a day after his appointment have said that his appointment is unacceptable on the grounds that a Muslim cannot teach Hindu religious texts which are included in the syllabus. No classes have been conducted at the Sanskrit Vidya Dharam Sankay department since then and the semester exams that were to held starting December 5, have been postponed Chief Proctor O.P.Rai told reporters.
Khan who has a Ph.D. in Sanksrit Literature from the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Jaipur is a regular on the Varta Vali programme that is telecast on Doordarshan every Saturday. He has been felicitated with the Sanskrit Yuva Pratibha Puraskar award by the Rajasthan government, but fascist Hindu outfits like the RSS and ABVP who have been backing the students in their protest against him, have left a more than well-deserving candidate bereft of an opportunity. This is just one of their many attempts to stoke communal hate and poison the secular education system with their Hindutva ideology.
Even though Khan has been backed by the University administration, he has been forced into quitting the SVDV department owing to the student agitation. He has now applied to Sanskrit Department of the University’s Faculty of Arts and also for the Assistant Professor’s post at the Faculty of Ayurveda.
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