Varanasi: A controversy has erupted over a question in a recently held MA History exam in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) here, where the students were asked to the name the book and author which mentions about ‘demolition of Adi Vishweshwar Temple by Aurangzeb’.

The question was asked at a time when the case regarding the Gyanvapi mosque – Adi Vishweshwar temple dispute is still in court.

The question has started a new row where protestors, mainly students, claim that the question is biased towards the Hindu-side in the dispute.

The question was put up in the MA History exam.

The present-day Gyanvapi mosque was allegedly the same site as Adi Vishweshwar temple devoted to the Hindu deity Shiva. These claims, however, are from Hinduism followers, and those following the Muslim religion debate the claim.

In 1991, local priests filed a petition seeking permission to worship in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Over the years, several petitions have been filed claiming that the mosque was built by demolishing parts of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The matter is presently in court.

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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The Indian Cultural Forum interviewed Sandeep Pandey about his book, his expulsion, the agenda of the RSS and the BJP and their interest in saffronising educational institutions and more. 

Daniya Rahman: What happened to you in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has been happening across campuses ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014. Can you comment on these continuous attacks on education and educational institutions? 

Sandeep Pandey: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is trying to control academic institutions stifling out any other voice. By controlling young minds they want to dominate the narrative in the society and hope to maintain a long term hold on it.

DR: There is a trend of labelling every dissenting voice as “anti-national” and / or “naxalite”. Why do you think that is? What according you does nationalism stand for?

SP: It is easy to discredit anybody or question anybody’s credibility by labelling somebody an anti-national or a naxalite. The idea of nationalism is like that of caste and religion, which is used to divide people. It is artificial. We have to be careful about it. I can be a good human being without believing in caste, religion or nation. It is important to be a humanist or a universalist. And that is sufficient.

DR: You have openly held the RSS responsible for your expulsion. Have you received threats from them or faced any hurdles in releasing the book?

SP: Not now, but when I was leaving BHU, two people associated with the RSS tried to dictate what I should have and should not have taught to the students one evening at the guest house where I used to stay. I confronted them. There is a continuous attempt to make false accusations against me by people associated with the RSS. On 6 February, 2019 after my book went public, there was an article in The Guardian by one Arvind Kumar of University of Chicago, where he calls me a naxalite, even though the Allahabad High Court absolved me of all false charges by giving the judgement in my favour.

DR: Why do you think your book is relevant, given the current political climate?

SP: BJP and RSS are trying to confuse the people by repeatedly raising the issue of nationalism. This approach has two problems. Firstly, it creates strife between neighbours and within minority communities or people who believe in different ideologies. Secondly, the real issues of people like poverty, unemployment, agrarian crisis, corruption, the human rights of marginalised, are brushed under the carpet. My attempt is to make people realise that RSS and BJP are dangerous for our society and people should reject their politics.

DR: Would you like to say something to the readers about why the 2019 General elections are so crucial?

SP: The 2019 Lok Sabha elections will determine whether democracy will survive in this country or not. Already, the Narendra Modi led government has eroded credibility of a number of our institutions and reduced the budget of all essential sectors like education, health care, agriculture.  The Constitution of India is under threat. People have to use this election to save democracy, the Constitution and bring back pro-people politics, which has been derailed.

Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum

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Varanasi: IIT-BHU (Indian Institute of Technology- Banaras Hindu University) had released a circular on Oct 10 informing students, faculty and employees of the university that strict disciplinary action will be taken against people who hold protests or meets that disrupt college life and education.
 
On October 10, a circular signed by the registrar was circulated to all departments. The circular asked students and employees to take prior permission from requisite authority to hold any procession or meeting in the campus. It also said that any default or disobedience will be punished. It arbitrarily outlawed the use of derogatory slogans, abuses and propaganda without detailing what it constituted.
 
Students of IIT BHU have expressed disappointment with the letter and have filed a petition against the circular on Oct 12. Writing to the registrar to roll back the notice, they quoted Article 19 (Right to Freedom) and said that freedom of speech, freedom to assemble peacefully and forms associations and groups were their rights given to them by the constitution of India.
 
They said that they found the notice undemocratic and unconstitutional and they were doing their duty as students. They also wrote that questioning, analyzing, criticizing, expressing opinions and dissenting were the cornerstones of a good education and a healthy learning environment. They added that such a notice gives undue powers to the admin.
 

 
The Students For Change group in the IIT campus also released a statement against the registrar’s circular.
 
“In the pretext of disruption of studies, examination and research work, the administration is trying to stop any dissenting voices. The purpose of learning and teaching Science must be to make the students think, question everything and critically analyze and challenge; but the same teaching-learning is being disrupted according to the administration if students raise their concerns and issues and register their dissent. This is a fascist step by the administration who wants the students and employees of our college to obey everything and become blind, deaf and dumb to anything happening in the society. Recently, SFC had organised a demonstration condemning the brutal attack by the State on the farmers who were protesting peacefully for their demands but our administration tried to stop the demonstration by every means even stating that the institute follows its own regulations and not that of the Constitution!” they said.
 
“Holding peaceful demonstration and protests is a right of the citizens of our country being given by the Constitution. Such fundamental rights are guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) right to freedom of speech and Article 19(1)(b) right to assemble peacefully. Due to all this, our education is merely becoming an act of depositing, in which students are depositories and professors are depositors and both are being completely isolated from the society. SFC strongly condemns this notice by the IIT(BHU) administration and demand immediate rollback of this undemocratic and unconstitutional order. We appeal to all students, intellectuals and other democratic citizens to come together and oppose this fascist step by the IIT administration,” they added.
 

 
Speaking to Sabrang India, Ipshita, a 4th-year student of IIT BHU and member of SFC said that the notice was reactionary to the many demonstrations that have been carried out in the past. “During a recent peaceful demonstration, we faced violence at the hands of ABVP goons. Instead of taking action against them and investigating them, we were told to not demonstrate or protest. Peaceful demonstrations are our basic rights. Due to the holidays, we are not able to act against this notice. When we are back in college we will demand an answer. If they don’t respond to us or our petition, we will take this to higher authorities.”
 
BHU has been embroiled in a number of incidents that questioned its authority over making the campus safe for women and managing violence perpetrated by political goons.
 
Members of the RSS affiliated Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) attacked students of Banaras Hindu University celebrating the anniversary of gender rights protest that had taken the university by storm last year. They attacked the students on Sunday, the one-year anniversary of the 23 September women’s protest against the victim shaming of a sexual harassment survivor and discriminatory hostel rules.
 
Full text of SFC’s statement:

DISSENT IS THE SAFETY VALVE OF DEMOCRACY—Justice DY Chandrachud, Judge of Supreme Court
 
On 11th October 2018, the Registrar of IIT(BHU) sent an email and a notice to all the students and faculty of IIT BHU that regarded Demonstration, Dharna, Hunger strike etc. as acts of indiscipline, responsible for the disruption in teaching-learning environment of the institute and any student or employee organising or participating in these acts will be subjected to disciplinary action.
 
In the pretext of disruption of studies, examination and research work, the administration is trying to stop any dissenting voices. The purpose of learning and teaching Science must be to make the students think, question everything and critically analyze and challenge; but the same teaching-learning is being disrupted according to the administration if students raise their concerns and issues and register their dissent. This is a fascist step by the administration who wants the students and employees of our college to obey everything and become blind, deaf and dumb to anything happening in the society. Recently, SFC had organised a demonstration condemning the brutal attack by the State on the farmers who were protesting peacefully for their demands but our administration tried to stop the demonstration by every means even stating that the institute follows its own regulations and not that of the Constitution!
 
Holding peaceful demonstration and protests is a right of the citizens of our country being given by the Constitution. Such fundamental rights are guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) right to freedom of speech and Article 19(1)(b) right to assemble peacefully. Due to all this, our education is merely becoming an act of depositing, in which students are depositories and professors are depositors and both are being completely isolated from the society. SFC strongly condemns this notice by the IIT(BHU) administration and demand immediate rollback of this undemocratic and unconstitutional order. We appeal to all students, intellectuals and other democratic citizens to come together and oppose this fascist step by the IIT administration.
 
#down_with_fascism
#shame_IITBHUadministration
#we_shall_fight #we_shall_win
 
Read Also:

https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/year-after-protests-bhus-female-students-recount-how-their-lives-changed-better-or-worse

https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/abvp-members-assault-bhu-students-hosting-gender-equality-event

https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/student-groups-iits-bhu-condemn-state-targeting-one-their-own-maoists

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Women rights organizations, students and citizens in Delhi came together, in solidarity with BHU.

On 21st September protests erupted in Banaras Hindu University over the victim shaming by the university administration, of a female student who was molested by three men inside the university premises.  After the incident, female students protested against the lack of action and victim blaming by the administration. On September 23, the female protesters who were sitting at the university gate were brutally beaten up by the police. Protesting against the police repression and the ignorant attitude of the administration on September 25, women rights organizations, students and citizens in Delhi came together, in solidarity with BHU. They demanded swift action and a gender-sensitive body which can inquire into the sexual harassment cases and take up task of gender sensitization for members of the University community .

Reproduced with permission from Newsclick.
 

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Updates from Teesta Setalvad:
5.28 p.m.: “SDM claims that they will soon take a bond and release. Let’s see”.

5.15 p.m.: “Its now 5:15pm. There is not an inch that the Police is budging. Still here and still not communicating with me. It’s 7 hours and 45 minutes of being detained. Pathetic.”

3.17 p.m.: “No formal arrest. Freedom curtailed. Gheraoed by Banaras and local SDM here. No idea whether preventive detention or arrest. How long will be freedom be curtailed?”

1.00 p.m.: I have been arrested by Banaras police after being detained since 9.30 am. Had come for a programme of youth training of Samajwadi Jan Parishad (prog fixed a month ago) but all I have been hearing since morning is are you going to BHU?

The post Preventive detention lifted, Teesta Setalvad now in Jaunpur for a youth training programme appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Photo credit: Janata ka Reporter

Universities across the country are being witness to a growing trend of infiltration by the right-wing RSS. Educational institutions used to be known as places where students can openly discuss, debate and disagree on various topics.

In these educational institutions, students have always been allowed their democratic right to dissent. But, as in most other liberal, democratic and progressive spaces, the RSS has managed to penetrate into Banaras Hindu University too. A few days with the students of Banaras Hindu University and some major issues being faced by the students have come to light.

Saffronisation of BHU

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is a central university located in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency. The current vice-chancellor, professor Girish Chandra Tripathi was appointed in late 2014 by a search panel that was led by the same man who was Modi’s proposer for his candidature as MP from his constituency.

The VC, a self-proclaimed RSS man, has allowed RSS cadres to hold rallies inside the prestigious campus. The VC himself has been seen hoisting the RSS’ student wing, ABVP’s flag on various occasions. With the aim of permeating their proxies into important posts of the university, the VC and the BHU administration have been practicing favoritism while appointing professors.

An RTI reply to a student has revealed that some teaching staff have even been appointed on the basis of stolen PhDs. Yet there has been no action. In a particular episode, an HOD pointed out to the vice-chancellor that a particular appointment as directed by the VC could not be made because the teacher lacked academic credentials.

The VC, in retaliation, asked the HOD to either accept his command without questioning him or resign; the HOD resigned. Such incidents have been taking place every second day across faculties. There is no space for those who question the ‘BHU dictatorship model’ and the administration is only happy to let them go.

Rampant misogyny on the campus

One may ask what really is wrong in RSS taking over an institution. To answer this, let’s understand the current situation in the university.

The right to dissent has been snatched away from students. There have been various instances where students have democratically been protesting in demand for basic rights. Such students have either been suspended or expelled. In a particular incident, students were on a hunger strike demanding a 24-hour open library; a facility that is promised in the university prospectus and was available to students prior to the current VC’s appointment.

Over 1,000 police personnel dragged the students out of campus, beat them brutally and they have now been suspended for two academic sessions. Over time, more than 20 student activists of the university, known to raise their voice, have been framed with serious criminal charges including attempt to murder.

Girls are being treated as second class citizens. Girls who enroll into the university have to get an undertaking signed from their parents that they will not participate in any form of protest and if caught doing so they will be removed from the hostel.

Girls are being treated as second class citizens. Girls who enroll into the university have to get an undertaking signed from their parents that they will not participate in any form of protest and if caught doing so they will be removed from the hostel. While boys hostel has both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, the girls’ hostel serves only vegetarian food because apparently it is against ‘Malviya Mulya’.

Girls are not allowed to wear what they want to and have to report in their hostel latest by 8 pm while the boys’ hostel has no curfew time. If a girl is caught talking on her phone (even to her parents) after 10 pm by the warden or housekeeper, the phone gets confiscated and is returned only after their parents are informed about it. If a girl is seen with any boy, she is handed over to the proctor for ‘maligning the cultural and traditional values of our country’.

Representatives of the backward strata of the society have no space in this university. If one picks the list of HODs, important post holders or executive council of the university, the entire list only has ‘upper caste’ names. In such an environment, it is only natural that discrimination will flourish.

The annual budget of the university is nearly Rs 760 crore but the expenditure report is not published. In the past years, the annual report of expenditure used to be sent to the University Grants Commission (UGC). However, in the last two years whether this report has been sent or not is not known.

In this period various scams too have come to light such as – CT scan center scam, alumni gift scam, favoritism in teachers’ appointments, trauma centre scam, medical courses being run without MCI recognition, entrance exam scam, among others.

The administration clearly has a two point agenda to fulfill – communalisation and filling their pockets. They’re keen on making as much money as they can irrespective of how badly it affects the students.

Students inside the campus are scared to even speak up. We cannot afford to have an entire generation of imprisoned minds.

A single ideology is being imposed on all the students, teachers and workers inside the university. The ideological space within which fruitful discussions may be held has shrunk so badly that it has become difficult to breathe. 

Magsaysay awardee SandeepPandey, who was a visiting faculty, was sacked from the university for holding an ideology different from that of the VC. Students were warned that if seen celebrating Valentine’s Day, they’d attract ‘category A’ punishment.

The university prospectus promises a 24-hour library with bus facility for girls till 5 am in the morning. When asked to reinstate this facility, the VC said that expecting girls to study at night is not pragmatic. According to the administration, ‘Graduate students don’t need a library. They shouldn’t read anything other than the syllabus. They are demanding a cyber-library to watch porn.’ Petrol bombs too have been found inside hostel rooms of an RSS affiliated student.

Such is the situation inside the campus. In such an environment a student will never be able to gain holistic education. This trend is very dangerous to the student community and needs to be stopped.

Students inside the campus are scared to even speak up. We cannot afford to have an entire generation of imprisoned minds. It is important for the student community across the country to understand the dangers that this trend poses to the Idea of India. We all need to unite and fight these fascist forces strongly.

(The author is the National General Secretary of NSUI).
 

The post With Modi’s Man as VC, BHU is now run like an RSS Shakha appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The CT-scan centre in this hospital was also a part of its cheap healthcare facility. It is a joint venture of B.H.U and a private company.When this CT-scan facility was established, it was being run on a 70-30 partnership. 30% to the B.H.U administration. Slowly they cut the rate to 90-10 even when the company was not in loss, leading to high charges for scan which became unaffordable for the poor. From the past 7 or 8 years the situation is the same. The same machine of CT-scan centre in the trauma centre B.H.U (another hospital of B.H.U) provides far more better facilities cost one-third of the amount, and also gives the fare share of BHU administration. The owner of that facility is Mr.  Manoj Shah who is a close associate of the incumbent BJP MLA Jyotsna Srivastava who represents Varanasi Cantt constituency.

This scam was revealed to the students through Right To Information querries and the CAG audit. They tried to file a case against it. But no further steps were taken initially. And the son of that MLA Saurabh Srivastav threatened one pf the student that he will kidnap him and beat him to death. Against this, people protested peacefully at the city centre B.H.U. We closed the gate of that corrupt city centre. The protest went on for three days. In between there were constant pressure from the state police and BHU administration that we should step back. They did not keep an eye on the corruption issue, of course. On the third day of protest within two hours the university administration formed a committee and jailed 20 students out of which 6 have been rusticated.

Now because the Vice Chancellor gets a fare share of that theft from the CT-centre that’s why he is not taking this issue raised by students seriously. He is himself an RSS member and the MLA who is benefiting from it is a B.J.P leader.

This is an outrageous story of corrupt people who are cheating the student and the poor seeking better health facilities. And they are imposing their fascist ideology on students.We condemn this fascism. And we hope that u will use the new media to bring this issue on a larger canvas

(The author is a BA Second Year Student in BHU, Varanasi)

The post Intolerance Strikes Again: 6 BHU Students Expelled after Protest Against Corrupt BJP MLA appeared first on SabrangIndia.

-The decision taken by the Board for terminating the services of Dr Pandey sans any academic considerations and it is merely on account of conflict of ideologies and therefore if such a decision stands vindicated, it will surely pose a threat to the basic fundamental freedoms granted in the Indian Constitution.

-The decision of the Board at the instance of the Chairman is in fact a step further to saffronisation of the IIT (BHU) and the University and in our democratic state such an attempt which is aimed at suppressing the ideologies is required to be nipped in bud as otherwise it will have serious effects.

-The framers of our Constitution have given to us the fundamental right in the shape of freedoms as detailed in Article 19 of the Constitution of India, particularly freedom to speak under Article 19 (1) (a), which includes professing even different ideologies and State is prohibited from curbing such freedoms which are subject only to some reasonable restrictions (in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence) and the IIT (BHU) by means of the resolution and the consequent termination order has made a dent upon the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of India.   

-The BOG resolution and order under challenge in the petition, has nothing to do with the academic performance of Dr Sandeep Pandey and he has been simply punished by the dictates of the Chairman of the Board. The Board was guided in its decision with the complaint of Avinash Pandey which appears to have been procured, without any verification. The truthfulness of the contents of the complaint were not verified through any preliminary fact finding enquiry. It was a rushed and un-thought through decision. .

-The branding of Dr Pandey as anti-national under the opinion formed by the Board has very serious effects as he is being sought to be permanently non-suited for any appointment/ engagement by any academic institute and that too without any enquiry or opportunity for him to be heard.

-The resolution and termination order under challenge in the High Court, which is stigmatic and passed without affording opportunity to the petitioner, Dr Pandey, and without even any fact finding enquiry-(i) goes to infringe fundamental rights of the petitioner under Article 14, 16, 19 (1) (a) & 21 of the Constitution of India; (ii) is in complete violation of principles of natural justice & (iii) is wholly without jurisdiction because it was passed in the absence of any agenda on the board. 
 
See also
Intolerance Strikes, Sandeep Pandey is out of BHU
 
https://sabrangindia.in/article/intolerance-strikes-sandeep-pandey-out-bhu
 
RSS hardliners ensured the premature termination, says Pandey
 
My contract at the IIT, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Varanasi as a visiting faculty has prematurely ended after teaching there for two-and-a-half years. This decision was prematurely taken by the Board of Governors (BOG). In a recent Board meeting the Vice Chancellor of BHU, who was made the Chairman of the IIT Board of Governors by the Minister of HRD, government of India, Smriti Irani, after by-passing the panel of five names recommended by a resolution of the Board of Governors. Thereafter, professor G.C. Tripathi, and Dean of Faculty Affairs, IIT, BHU and professor Dhananjay Pandey, both gentlemen associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), primarily forced the decision.

The charges levelled against me are that I am a Naxalite, showed a banned documentary on Nirbhaya case and am also involved in anti-national activities.

I wish to clarify that I'm not a Naxalite. The ideology that I would consider myself closest to is Gandhian.

But I do identify with the causes taken up by Naxalites even though I may not agree with their methods.

The banned documentary on Nirbhaya made by BBC was to be screened in my Development Studies class during the even semester of academic year 2014-15 but the decision was withdrawn after intervention of Chief Proctor of the BHU and officer of the Lanka Police Station just before the class. However, a discussion on the issue of violence against women in our society was conducted after screening a different documentary.

I do not believe in the idea of a nation or national boundaries, which I think are responsible for artificial divisions among human beings similar to the ones on the basis of caste or religion. Hence I cannot be anti or pro-nation. I am pro-people. I'm not a nationalist but am a universalist. I have no regrets as the decision to terminate my contract has not been taken based on my academic performance but it is because of my political views and activities. I've enjoyed my stay at IIT, BHU and wish the Institute and the University the best.
 
(Sandeep Pandey, a Magsaysay awardee for emergent leadership has trained in Mechanical Engineering but has been working on social justice issues; he is co-founder of Aasha)
 

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