NEW DELHI: The Students Federation of India (SFI), the student organisation of Delhi University, on Monday observed ‘Manusmriti Dahan Diwas’ to commemorate the historical episode of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar burning a copy of the Manusmriti to defy upper-caste hegemony, on this day in 1927.
“This tradition of burning Manusmriti is one of the practices started by the father of the Indian constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar burned a copy of Manusmriti on Dec 25, 1927, as a protest against Manu laws in Mahad,” said Aishe Ghosh, SFI president.
At the call of SFI, students and activists gathered at the Arts faculty. However, when the students started dispersing after holding the “peaceful” protest, police intervened and detained several participants, Aishe Ghosh, the SFI president said.
“A constant attack on students for any kind of political expression in or near the campus shows the support of the state for Manusmriti and its laws,” the SFI leader alleged. The Left wing student organisation in a statement later condemned the police action to detaining the students who had gathered at the Delhi University.