On the eve of the BJP National Executive in Allahabad on June 12 and 13, this Open Letter to Prime Minister from a Woman Student Leader makes a strong appeal to set right the misdemeanours of the VC and administration on campus
Students plan a special campaign around the visit including distributing 50,000 pamphlets throughout the city on the woes of students which the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has turned a deaf year and blind eye to
Besides, in the city, over 500 selected candidates of the Staff Selection Commission, recruited after 2011 but who have not got jobs have been protesting over 25 days; hence the PM’s presence at the BJP national executive is likely to see gathering momentum to these agitations
The text of the letter:
Dear Prime Minister
On the occasion of your Allahabad visit, I would like to bring to your notice following issues of University of Allahabad (a central institution) which demand immediate attention to save the university and to ensure gender justice
• Gender insecurity is widespread (on the campus) and as a result female students are regularly harassed on the campus. Many in university administration are hand in glove with those committing crime(s) against women. The biggest tragedy is that the Vice Chancellor (VC), Vice Chancellor Rattan Lal Hangloo has appointed people accused of serious crime against women at the highest office of the administration (Registrar and OSD to VC).
[Amit Singh, OSD to the VC has an alleged sexual harassment charge against him and an FIR and he was brought in with the new VC in December 2015-January 2016. NK Shukla, earlier Proctor now Registrar of the University has an FIR under Section 354 against him. This relates to the incident when students under firebrand leader Richa Singh had protested the invitation of Yogi Adityanath to the campus and during the protest Shukla along with representatives of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP had come and misbehaved with protesting women students under the influence of alchohol.]
• Increasingly, the university administration has become the hub of financial irregularities and corruption. In financial matters there is no transparency and tenders are distributed at the whims and fancies of those in administration. Moreover, lakhs of rupees of public money is spent on personal comfort and luxury. A CBI Inquiry must go into all the financial transactions in last one year.
• Academic career of thousands of students is in danger because of the criminal negligence of duty on the part of university administration. Thousands of students could not appear for recently conducted undergraduate entrance exam (2016-2017) because university failed to make the required arrangements. Moreover, the LL.B (Bachelor of Law) degree of thousands of students is at stake due to the failure of the university to obtain necessary recognition of the degree from the Bar Council of India and of Uttar Pradesh.
• Adopting a biased attitude towards Dalits and OBC’s, the VC has appointed person found guilty (by the MHRD) of discrimination against OBCs as the joint-Registrar.
• Worse, the VC is regularly harassing and intimidating students, faculty and non-teaching staff. Paying no heed to their just demands, VC has been using sections of the police machinery to falsely implicate agitating student union leaders under serious charges and also making effort to unlawfully expel them.
Dear Prime Minister,, the most unfortunate is that despite several letters, appeals and memorandums, the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has repeatedly failed to initiate much needed action against the misconduct of university authorities.
Left with no options, students, youth and women demand your immediate attention.
We urge and hope that –in the interest of the future of thousands of students –you will step in, give us a hearing and ensure gender security. To check the wrong doings of the university authorities, you will immediately initiate inquiry and action against the VC and other officials in the administration.
Sincerely,
Richa Singh
President
Allahabad University Student Union
References:
1. May 2, 2016: Battle lines Drawn: Lathi Charge in Allahabad University against Protesting Students
2. A Revolution Led by Youth