NEW DELHI: Several students of Delhi University and JNU celebrated the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration ceremony on Monday by organizing ‘hawans’, ‘bhandaras’ and Sundarkand recitals, but drew criticism from teachers’ union and students’ organizations calling it a violation of the constitution and waste of public money.
Chanting “Jai Shri Ram”, hundreds of students participated in a ‘shobha yatra’ at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). ‘Hawans’ and ‘bhandaras’ were also organized at the university’s hostels.
“The first ‘hawan’ was performed at the Sabarmati Hostel with a ‘Sundarkand Path (recital)’. Bhandaras were organized across hostels,” a JNU student, who did not wish to be named, said.
To mark the occasion, a recital of the Hanuman Chalisa was organized at Delhi University by the Arundhati Vashishtha Anusandhan Peeth and Jigyasa DU, and according to the organizations, many teachers from the Muslim community participated in the program.
The Delhi University Students’ Union and students associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad organized a recital of the ‘Sundarkand’ at the Arts Faculty. Live streaming of the Ram temple consecration ceremony was arranged on the campus of the university.
Violation of constitution
The Democratic Teachers’ Front said that it was unfortunate that the taxpayers’ money and public resources, which are meant to be for all, are being used for such activities. “Religion is a personal matter and the citizens of the country must be allowed their right to exercise their faith without fear or encroachment on the public domain,” the DTF said.
Secretary DTF Abha Dev Habib said, “As a mark of protest against the violation of the Constitution and the misuse of the publicly funded University space to promote sectarian and divisive politics, we hereby circulate the Preamble of the Constitution.”
Meanwhile, JNUSU also condemned the University’s and central government’s alleged anti-constitutional declaration of a half day holiday on account of Ram Mandir inauguration.