NEW DELHI: A month after the governing body of Delhi University’s Hindu College issued show-cause notices to three faculty members including Hindu College Staff Association (HCSA) President Dr. Ratan Lal, Secretary Shankar Kumar, and Dr. PK Vijayan, accusing them of gross misconduct, indiscipline, and insubordination; the DTF on Wednesday announced a protest march from Hindu College to the VC office demanding withdrawal of the show cause notices and against the administrative decisions.
Teachers under the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) have called for a protest on campus on Thursday, alleging serious irregularities in Delhi University’s admission process. In a statement, the DTF described CUET and the CSAS portal as “opaque and error-prone”, flagging issues such as algorithm failures and over-admissions across colleges. It also alleged that faculty members who raised concerns, including at Hindu College, were served show cause notices. The group criticized the continued tenure of the Vice Principal at Hindu College, calling it unjustified despite the presence of eligible candidates, and accused the administration of fostering “autocratic functioning”.
One of the notices, issued on September 8 to History department Associate Professor Ratan Lal, took exception to his public criticism of the Principal and allegations of irregularities in admissions. The action followed a September 7 meeting of the Governing Body, which expressed “deep concern” over statements issued by Lal and circulated to the media and external agencies.
In a statement dated August 18, Lal had “unequivocally” condemned the Principal and said he had “no confidence in the Principal”. He had also alleged a “dubious role played by the Principal of our College” and accused him of having “tricked, misled and pressurized the college statutory bodies”.
On this the Governing Body had stated that Lal “continued to act in a manner highly prejudicial for the maintenance of internal discipline and order in the College” and described his conduct as “unbecoming of a Teacher of the College.”
