BHU row: Ball in Professor Firoz Khan's court as he clears two other interviews

Prof Khan had appeared in the interviews on November 29 and December 4, respectively for the assistant professor’s post in both departments.
Professor Firoz Khan
Professor Firoz Khan

LUCKNOW: Facing fierce protests against his appointment as assistant professor in BHU’s department of Sahitya in faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan (SVDV), Dr Firoz Khan has cleared the two interviews for the same posts in other departments including Sanskrit and Samhita of Faculty of Ayurveda and Department of Sanskrit of Faculty of Arts, a BHU executive council member said. 

Prof Khan had appeared in the interviews on November 29 and December 4, respectively for the assistant professor’s post in both departments. As per the BHU sources, the development came to light after the envelope of the selected candidates was opened at the meeting of the executive council of the university in New Delhi on Saturday.

The sources also claimed that that now it was up to Dr Firoz Khan to decided where he wants to teach.

Earlier, Dr Khan was appointed as assistant professor in the department of Sahitya of SVDV faculty after an interview on November 5. As his appointment came to light, a group of students of the faculty of SVDV began a protest against the appointment of a non-Hindu in the faculty.

The protesting students who call Prof Khan’s appointment at SVDV against the provisions of BHU 1951 Act for appointment and also against the tenets of the university statute, had demanded that Prof Khan be transferred to some other faculty as they were not against him  but against the appointment of a non-Hindu to SVDV. It is a faculty where the teaching is all about the Sanatan Karmkhand through vedic rituals which were difficult for Prof Khan to follow.

Meanwhile, some SVDV students are still demonstrating. Anand Mohan Jha, one of the protesters, said that the demonstration will continue until Dr Khan’s appointment was revoked or he was transferred out of the faculty.

The executive council of BHU met in New Delhi on Saturday with BHU vice-chancellor Rakesh Bhatnagar chairing the meeting.

The council approved several decisions relating to development and enhancement of research activities, academic, and development of the varsity. It also approved the appointment of candidates interviewed and selected for the post of assistant professors, said the sources.

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