NEW DELHI: More than a week after a Delhi University (DU) faculty member was allegedly assaulted by a Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) office-bearer, outrage continues to mount across the varsity.
Several college staff associations have condemned what they described as a “grave breach of academic decorum and moral authority,” demanding strict action against the accused and accountability from the universityadministration.
The incident took place on October 16 at Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College (BRAC), where Deepika Jha, Joint Secretary of DUSU and affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), allegedly slapped professor Sujit Kumar, a senior faculty member and convener of the college’s disciplinary committee.
Faculty members allege that despite the seriousness of the assault, neither the college administration nor the university has taken concrete action.
“Neither the college administration has lodged an FIR, nor the University administration has taken any palpable action against the culprits. Instead, the perpetrators have been allowed to malign the victim on social media,” said Rudrashish Chakraborty, Associate Professor of English at Kirori Mal College and former DUTA Executive member.
He added that the administration’s “silence and complicity” have made the university an unsafe space for both teachers and students.
According to minutes from the college’s emergent General Body Meeting held on October 22, the attack was described as a “direct assault on the dignity, safety and honour of the entire teaching community.”
The resolutions passed unanimously demanded Jha’s expulsion and a ban on political student groups, including DUSU activists, from the college premises.
The House also sought a college-level inquiry into the alleged role of another faculty member accused of “instigating violence” and called for prof Kumar to be given access to CCTV footage and FIR documents. The Staff Association observed a complete teaching strike on October 27–28, protesting what it termed a “grave injustice and attack on teachers’ dignity.”
